By Laura French
INDIANAPOLIS — EMS providers in Indiana are planning to lobby against a proposed bill that would allow insurance companies to set their own rates for EMS transports in the state.
Gibson County EMS Director Jim Allen told WFIE that the bill could cut revenue for EMS agencies by up to 50 or 60 percent, which would put agencies in debt and possibly force them to close.
Allen said the Indiana EMS Association encouraged him to head to the state capitol to lobby against the bill.
In a Facebook post this week, the Indiana EMS Association wrote that “Indiana House Bill 1372 will put the EMS industry in Indiana out of business.”
The Association wrote that rates will be set without input from the EMS providers and that the impact of decreased revenue would be a reduction in staff, layoffs and higher taxes in order to keep EMS agencies in service.
The Association also proposed solutions, including protecting patients from surprise billing while negotiating rates with providers that will adequately cover the costs of providing the service.
Along with a call to action to lobby against the current bill, the Association is promoting a Change.org petition to amend the bill with proposed new language. The petition has received more than 4,300 signatures.