STATEHOUSE (Feb. 7, 2024) – The Indiana House of Representatives recently approved State Rep. Brad Barrett's (R-Richmond) bill to protect Hoosiers from surprise ambulance bills when a provider is outside of their insurance network.
According to a study from the Public Interest Research Group, more than 3 million privately insured Americans are transported by ambulance to an emergency room annually. Over half of these individuals receive a surprise bill because they didn't know the ambulance service provider was not covered by insurance. Barrett said his legislation would require health insurance companies to reimburse for ambulance services that are not part of a person's coverage plan. Also, Barrett said these health insurance payments to out-of-network ambulance service providers would be considered paid in full outside of an individual's insurance deductible or copay.
"EMS services are critical to Hoosiers of every age and demographic, and their necessity crosses rural and urban divides," said Barrett, who serves as chair of the House Public Health Committee. "This piece of legislation would shield individuals from receiving surprise ambulance bills and help ensure our communities, especially in rural areas, maintain their access to ambulance services."
The bill would also allow for out-of-network ambulance providers to receive payments from health insurance operators at locally set rates or at a capped rate based on Medicare benchmarks. Currently, there is no set time frame in which an ambulance service must receive payment from health plan providers. Under Barrett's legislation, service providers must receive payment within 30 days of the claim being filed.
House Bill 1385 now heads to Senate for further consideration. For more information, or to watch session and committees live, visit iga.in.gov.
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State Rep. Brad Barrett (R-Richmond) represents House District 56,
which includes all of Wayne County and a portion of Henry County.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
PHOTO ATTACHED CAPTION: State Rep. Brad Barrett (R-Richmond) testifies before the Indiana House of Representatives on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024, at the Statehouse. A bill Barrett authored would shield Hoosiers from surprise ambulance bills when a provider is outside of their insurance network.
