The endless political chess of funding EMS
“It isn’t an issue until it becomes an issue. That’s the problem. Something bad has to happen.”
January 22nd was overcast in Denver. The temperature was below freezing, but tolerable in the way that all cold climates are as long as just a bit of sun pokes through the clouds. That day, a bill was introduced in the state legislature, HB25-1088, addressing surprise ambulance fees. It proposed that the price of ambulance transport by emergency medical service (EMS) agencies be publicly available online, and required insurance companies to reimburse for any ride at those established rates.
It protected insured people from receiving a surprise ambulance bill, and codified that those paying for an out-of-network ambulance could have that cost reduced from their annual health insurance deductible. In Colorado, this was salient: An insured resident made news in 2023 for receiving a $1,500 ambulance bill for an eight minute ride that their insurer wouldn’t cover in full.
HB25-1088 immediately had bipartisan support. It entered the House Health and Human Services committee, then Appropriations, then the Senate. It cleared four committees, and the signed act was presented on May 29th to the governor.
But Governor Jared Polis (D) vetoed HB25-1088 at 3:50PM that same day. In his veto letter, he wrote, “I [...] understand that setting a rate for out-of-network services provides predictability for smaller, rural providers. The aims of HB25-1088 are commendable...”