Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act Introduced

May 18, 2021

On May 6, Representatives Terri Sewell (D-AL), Devin Nunez (R-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), introduced H.R. 2454, the Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act of 2021. The bill would make permanent adjustments to the reimbursement methodology for services in urban, rural, and “super rural” areas by making permanent the temporary “add-on” payments that ambulance service providers currently receive through Medicare.

“I’d like to thank Representatives Sewell, Nunez, Welch, Mullin, and all of the cosponsors of H.R. 2454 for introducing this important bill,” said National Volunteer Fire Council chair Steve Hirsch. “Making the Medicare add-on payments part of the base rate that ambulance service providers receive is a critical step towards ensuring that reimbursement rates meet the cost of providing service.”