Loading…
H.R. 2538119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Apr 1, 2025Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
A 5-year pilot would let Medicare pay ground ambulance providers for on-scene emergency care even when no hospital transport occurs.
50-second read · 4 questions answered below
This bill would create a five-year pilot program requiring a federal agency to pay ground ambulance providers for treating Medicare patients on-scene during emergencies, even if the patient is never transported to a hospital. Payment rates would be set roughly in line with what providers would have earned for a transport. If telehealth is also provided during that on-scene visit, the treatment location would qualify under telehealth payment rules.
Medicare beneficiaries who call 911 for emergencies are the patients affected. Ground ambulance companies and providers who respond to those calls would receive the new payments.
Currently, Medicare generally only pays ambulance providers when they physically transport a patient to a medical facility, leaving on-scene-only care unpaid. The Government Accountability Office would be required to report to Congress within four years on how the pilot affected patient outcomes, access to emergency services, and costs compared to traditional emergency transportation.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.