Fw: NEWS RELEASE: Sessions Introduces Legislation to Sustain Ambulance Service in Rural Areas

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For Immediate Release

May 19, 2009 Contact: Boyd or Haley

Sessions

Introduces Legislation to Sustain Ambulance Service in Rural Areas

WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions

(R-AL) is taking steps to address a looming health care problem in Alabama: the

threat of a severe drop in ambulance services to rural parts of the state in

coming years.

Sessions, with Sens. Chuck Schumer

(D-NY) and Pat (R-KS), introduced bipartisan legislation in the Senate

yesterday that would alter existing Medicare programs to better reflect the

cost of operating ambulance services outside of urban centers. The

legislation, S. 1066, would boost the Medicare reimbursement rate by six

percent for ambulance trips originating in rural areas, and by 17 percent for

ambulance services in extremely remote areas.

“Rural ambulance service providers may

receive only a few calls a week, but they must be ready to go, 24 hours a day,

seven days a week,†Sessions said. “It has been a priority of mine for a

number of years to correct the unfair treatment of rural Alabama ambulance

operators. I believe this will be a good step toward restoring the

correct balance. This legislation would make adjustments to the reimbursement

formula to account for the high cost of rural service. The men and women who

provide these services are lifesavers, and we need to make sure they are able

to assist those in need, regardless of the patient’s location.â€

A May 2007 report by the Government

Accountability Office found that “rural and super rural transports were longer

than urban transports, on average, requiring more time and resources per

transport. In 2004, urban Medicare transports averaged seven miles, while rural

Medicare transports averaged 13 miles and medical transports from super rural

areas averaged 20 miles.â€

Currently, ambulance providers cover the

upfront cost of transporting Medicare patients and are reimbursed under a

formula that weighs the number of trips each provider makes more heavily than

the length of each trip, disadvantaging rural providers.

In 2003, Medicare began providing a

bonus payment to offset the higher cost of operating in rural areas. But, under

current law, those payments are scheduled to cease at the end of the year,

leading some industry experts to predict that many rural ambulance providers

will be unable to sustain rural operations.

Such an outcome would result in a

dramatic disruption of services in states like Alabama, where 35 percent of the

260,000 ambulance transports made each year are in rural

areas.

Jim Finger, President of the American Ambulance Association, pointed to the

legislation as an important step to insuring adequate rural service.

" Funding from the Medicare

Ambulance Access Preservation Act would offset the temporary Medicare

ambulance relief provisions, which are set to expire at the end of this year,

and would address the chronic problem of below-cost reimbursement by Medicare

of ambulance services,†Finger said. “Without this legislation, ambulance

service providers, especially those which service the most rural

areas, may be forced to scale back services, which could ultimately jeopardize

access for all Americans to life-saving ambulance care and first responder

services.â€

Jon Howell, President of Alabama

Association of Ambulance Services said, “Ambulance providers in Alabama have

long needed relief from the high costs associated with providing quality care.

Speaking on behalf of the Alabama Association of Ambulance Services, I am very

pleased and excited that Senator Sessions has co-sponsored this important

legislation.â€

The funding adjustments included in

Sessions’ legislation are in line with the recommendations of the GAO’s

report,

and would send an additional $80 million in aid to Alabama’s ambulance

providers over the next 10 years.

# # #

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) serves on

four committees – Armed Services, Judiciary, Energy and Natural Resources, and

Budget. Visit his website at www.sessions.senate.gov.

NOTE: Please do not reply to this email. For further information, please

contact Senator Sessions’ press office at

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