Ambulance providers from Central New York joined with others from across the state in Albany on Tuesday to rally against a proposal to eliminate millions in funding from the State budget that reimburses them for EMS services. Lohn Fricano is the Director of Operations for TLC Emergency Medical Services in Syracuse.
He says a proposed cut of $190 million for Medicaid would actually double without the matching federal contribution.
“So, if you’re 40 years-old and have a good insurance policy and you take an ambulance ride... whatever the allowable charge in your plan is for ambulance service, we’ll reimburse you and then, you’ll have a co-pay. In that scenario, you’re paying the full price for the ambulance ride and the treatment that you receive.”
Fricano says the State Department of Health completed study in 2017 which determined ambulance providers were undercompensated $31 million dollars. Their recommendation was to increase Medicaid ambulance reimbursement rates to $31 million dollars over five years to cover the services of low income patients. He says the funding is also on the chopping block.
“Let’s say they say we’re gonna pay $100 dollars for an ambulance call but, we’re only gonna reimburse $80 of those. People with Medicare and Medicaid, the Medicaid system would pick-up the 20 percent and pay the other $20 dollars.”
Fricano adds the poor would be most affected by the proposed reimbursement cuts to Medicaid crossover and supplemental funding. He says many ambulance companies have been forced to close their doors already and fears more closures could be imminent. The rally was organized by the United New York Ambulance Network and the Healthcare Association of New York State.
