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DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation to protect patients from surprise ambulance billing. HB25-1088, sponsored by Representatives Karen McCormick and Kyle Brown, would shield Colorado patients by expanding existing consumer protections to include public ambulance services.
“Coloradans shouldn’t hesitate to call an ambulance during an emergency because they’re concerned about cost,” said Rep. Karen McCormick, D-Longmont. “More than 75 percent of the ambulances in Colorado are currently exempt from surprise billing laws, which means patients are often met with a costly surprise bill. Our law aims to protect patients from surprise ambulance billing by extending coverage to public ambulances and establishing clear reimbursement rates.”
“The last thing on someone’s mind when calling an ambulance should be cost, yet surprise billing leaves many Coloradans stuck with an unaffordable bill,” said Rep. Kyle Brown, D-Louisville. “This important legislation extends consumer protections to cover surprise billing from public ambulance services. The health and safety of our communities is a top priority, and this bill helps ensure Coloradans have access to dependable, high-quality emergency services.”
HB25-1088 passed the House by a vote of 63-0. This bill would protect patients from surprise, and typically expensive, bills after using an ambulance. Colorado’s existing billing protections only include private ambulance services. HB25-1088 builds upon previous bipartisan legislation to protect patients from surprise ambulance billing by extending protections to public ambulance services.
During an emergency, patients cannot choose who responds to their 9-1-1 call, and more than 75 percent of ambulance agencies in Colorado are public departments, not covered by current law. The bill establishes clear reimbursement rates to ensure patient access and improve ambulance sustainability in all Colorado communities.
Additionally, this bill would put key federal recommendations in place, such as:
Prohibiting all ambulance agencies from balance billing patients for both emergency and non-emergency transports.
Establishing reimbursement rates for ambulance services that are out of network.
Requiring carriers to pay the rates adopted by governing political subdivisions, assuming those rates meet conditions designed to improve transparency and limit costs.
Creating a public-facing website of rates adopted by political subdivisions.
Ensuring ambulance agencies are paid directly after a transport.