Vermont’s congressional delegation is introducing a bill on Capitol Hill in hopes of easing an ongoing sustainability crisis for Emergency Medical Service providers in Vermont and across rural America.
For many medical emergencies — particularly in rural regions where the nearest hospital can be well over 30 minutes of driving time away — EMS responders deliver on-site medical care and do not transport the patient to the hospital.
But when patients have health insurance through Medicare — which provides health coverage for Americans 65 and older as well as some younger people with disabilities or kidney failure — the federal program does not reimburse EMS providers for their response unless the patient is transported to a hospital.
Medicare patients make up roughly 40% of patients treated by EMS, according to the delegation. Providing that much care without payment is one factor leading many service providers to cut back or fold entirely, they said.
That’s the issue U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, and Peter Welch, D-Vt., as well as U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., are hoping to solve with their latest bill, dubbed the Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-scene Care and Support, or EMS ROCS, Act.
Sanders and Welch on Wednesday introduced their bill in the U.S. Senate, and Balint introduced companion legislation in the House.
In a joint statement issued by the delegation on Wednesday, Welch called the bill “commonsense.”
“Vermont’s EMS providers are on the frontlines of medical emergencies. They should get reimbursed for that work,” Welch said. “This bill works to modernize Medicare to ensure that EMS are paid for their lifesaving work and can continue to provide essential medical services in Vermont and across rural America.”
The Medicare reimbursement issue has a downstream effect, hitting more than just individual EMS providers’ bottom lines, the delegation said. In the face of increasing pressures that include too-low reimbursement rates, the rising cost of gas and workforce shortages, some emergency service providers are making the call to cut back or close.
The phenomenon has been particularly evident in rural Vermont, where residents are increasingly experiencing challenges to accessing medical care — not just in emergencies, but also for preventative and continuing care.
“We must do everything we can to ensure (EMS providers) receive the support and resources they need and deserve, and that includes reimbursement for all the care they provide,” Sanders said in Wednesday’s press release.
“Rural communities in Vermont and across the country depend on their essential services and this bill is a right step forward in helping EMS agencies get fairly compensated for these services — even when transportation to the hospital is not needed,” he said.
