Bill > HB4156

This bill modifies existing laws to improve how medical assistance, which is government-funded healthcare for low-income individuals, reimburses emergency medical services (EMS) providers, such as ambulance companies. Specifically, it allows EMS providers to receive additional reimbursement from the state for the costs of providing emergency care to individuals covered by medical assistance, provided this is permitted by federal law and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid. This supplemental reimbursement is intended to capture federal funds, known as federal financial participation, that can be used to offset the costs of these services. The bill also adjusts how funds are transferred between EMS providers and the state, and then to coordinated care organizations (CCOs), which are entities that manage healthcare for medical assistance recipients, to ensure that EMS providers are adequately reimbursed for their services. The changes aim to streamline the process for obtaining federal funding for EMS and ensure that the reimbursement amounts are actuarially equivalent to the supplemental payments. Importantly, the bill clarifies that General Fund moneys, which are state tax revenues, will not be used for these programs except as necessary to certify expenditures for federal funding, and EMS providers must agree to reimburse the state for administrative costs associated with these new provisions. The bill also includes an emergency clause, meaning it takes effect immediately upon passage.

Health and Social Services

https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2026R1/Measures/Overview/HB4156