The temporary Medicare ambulance increases of 2% urban, 3% rural and 22.6% to the base rate in super rural areas are scheduled to expire on December 31 of this year. That is just one month away! We need all NEMSA members and their employees to ask your Senators and Representatives to support Medicare Ambulance Relief!
Please take one minute to click on this link, fill out a brief web form with some basic contact information and have letters sent to your elected officials. Time is of the essence!
Click here to contact your members Congress
https://ambulance.org/advocacy/permanent-medicare-ambulance-relief/
Tweet at your members of Congress
https://cqrcengage.com/the-aaa/app/tweet?0&engagementId=419513
Background
Ambulance service providers in Nebraska have been working with and are supportive of the efforts championed by the American Ambulance Association in asking Senators for support of the ambulance provisions in their recently released Discussion Draft on a Medicare provider extender package and to co-sponsorship of S. 967.
Collectively, we are asking Representatives for their support for a five-year extension of the Medicare ambulance increases. We are also asking for revisions to a cost reporting provision in H.R. 3729 by providing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) with greater flexibility in how it would collect ambulance cost data and addressing the penalty for not providing timely or acceptable data.
Cost Reporting
Congress is considering ways to collect Medicare cost data from ambulance service suppliers and providers. The Senate version, which the AAA prefers, would require a statistically significant sampling of ambulance service suppliers and providers and would provide CMS with significant flexibility on how the system would be designed. The House version would require all ambulance service suppliers and providers to submit an annual “cost report” which would be subject to a strict financial penalty for not providing timely as well as full data. The AAA is continuing to push for changes to the House Bill and there has been some confusion in the industry about these two provisions. The bottom-line is that any collection of cost data needs to be tailored to meet the unique needs of ambulance services.
It is vital that our representatives hear from as many people as possible. Please push this request out to as many within your organization as you see fit. Should you have any questions, please contact acamas@ambulance.org. Thank you in advance for your help. We will provide follow-up information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Taylor Moore
NSVFA Office
402-761-2211
Proven Commitment to Municipalities, Fire & EMS 