We Need To Preserve Emergency Air Medical Services

by Contributor | December 12, 2017 5:49 am

To The Editor:

Recently, New York Assemblyman Will Barclay wrote a column (Dec. 4, Legislation Seeks to Protect Patients From High Air Ambulance Costs) about his proposed model legislation that would impact air ambulance services and the patients they serve.

As noted, many communities, particularly rural, rely on air ambulances to get to the closest hospital that could be hours away by drive.

When medical emergencies strike, time is of the essence and getting the appropriate care as quickly as possible can save lives. When first responders or physicians call for an air ambulance, providers respond immediately without regard to a patient’s ability to pay – safe transport and lifesaving clinical care is their priority.

We agree that patients should not be stuck in the middle with huge bills.

While the Assemblyman’s proposal seeks to address the financial burden insurance companies sometimes place on patients when they don’t fully cover emergency care, it unfortunately fails to address the underlying problem: inadequate reimbursement rates.

Today, seven out of 10 air medical transports are under-reimbursed.

The average Medicare reimbursement covers less than 60 percent of actual transport costs. In some states, Medicaid reimbursements can be as low as $200, which is less than half of the price of fuel alone for the average transport.

The result is extreme cost shifting onto remaining 30 percent of patients.

This is not sustainable, and must be addressed if we are to preserve patient access to emergency air medical services.

Like the Assemblyman, we fully agree that the federal government needs to take action.

That’s why we’re supporting the Ensuring Access to Air Ambulance Services Act (S. 2121/H.R. 3378).

This bipartisan legislation would update Medicare reimbursement rates to ensure they reflect the true cost of service today, and take significant steps to relieving the unsustainable cost-shift on those with private coverage.

We applaud the Assemblyman’s commitment to these lifesaving services and urge him to support this bipartisan legislation.

Carter Johnson, spokeswoman, Save Our Air Medical Resources (SOAR) campaign (www.soarcampaign.com)

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/we-need-to-preserve-emergency-air-medical-services/

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