Rural paramedics gathered recently in support of a bill working it’s way through the Kentucky statehouse.
The bill is designed to address so-called ambulance deserts in rural areas.
It would result in higher reimbursements from insurers for ambulance services.
House Bill 447, so far, is sponsored by nine republican state lawmakers, and it would also require insurance companies to reimburse ground ambulances at a rate set by the local government or, if there is not a local rate set, 400 percent of the Medicare rate or an out-of-network provider’s billed charges.
Some rural ambulance services say they are reimbursed only about 50 percent of the actual cost of providing the service, meaning they cannot upgrade their equipment because they are losing money.