Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions
Floor Speech
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - May 03, 2007)
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By Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mr. LOTT, and Mr. CONRAD):
S. 1310. A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for an extension of increased payments for ground ambulance services under the Medicare program; to the Committee on Finance.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, today I, along with Senators LOTT and CONRAD, introduce the Medicare Ambulance Payment Extension Act. Without this legislation, ambulance service providers stand to lose $306 million in Medicare reimbursement in 2008 and 2009 in addition to the nearly $150 million they will lose this year. Our legislation will restore $341 million in Medicare reimbursement with a 5 percent increase in payments for 2008 and 2009.
Ambulance services are a vital component of the health care and emergency response systems of our Nation. Unfortunately, ambulance services providers are being significantly under-funded in providing their critical services to Medicare patients. We need to ensure that our ambulance service providers have the financial resources necessary to provide all Americans with high quality, life-saving services.
Fortunately, in the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, MMA, Congress implemented several provisions to provide temporary relief to help struggling ambulance service providers. The MMA ambulance provisions provided short-term relief through 1 percent urban and 2 percent rural increases, a mileage rate increase for long trips, a payment boost for ambulance transports in extremely rural areas, and a regional adjustment that helped a majority of providers depending on their state. While the rural payment boost and long trip increase are temporarily still intact, the 1 percent urban and 2 percent rural increases expired at the end of last year and the regional adjustment has dropped from 80 percent to only 20 percent of payments. If Congress does not act, ambulance service providers will lose over $450 million in relief from 2007 through 2009.
Ambulance service providers cannot afford to face decreased reimbursement in the coming years. Ambulances services respond to not only 911 calls and nonemergency requests but also as first responders to natural disasters and acts of terrorism. Medicare patients account for approximately 45 percent of the call volume of an ambulance operation. Ambulance service providers cannot afford to have half of their transports reimbursed at below the cost of providing services.
While all health care providers face reimbursement challenges, ambulance service providers are required by law to respond to a plea for emergency medical care, regardless of whether the provider will recoup the full, if any, cost of the service. This additional responsibility along with the requirement that ambulance service providers accept the Medicare ambulance fee schedule rate as payment in full has further deteriorated the financial stability of ambulance operations. With increased focus on ensuring that our first responders are prepared in the event of a terrorist attack or national disaster, we should be bolstering, not deteriorating, this health care safety net.
The Medicare Ambulance Payment Extension Act will ensure that patients across America will continue to have access to critical ambulance services. We urge our colleagues to support this legislation, and I look forward to its passage this year.
I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record
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