Sen. Michael Bennet is among several lawmakers co-sponsoring a bill that would reimburse paramedics and emergency medical technicians for providing care to people experiencing nonemergency medical issues at home, rather than transporting them by ambulance to an emergency room.
Senate Bill 3730, titled the “Emergency Medical Services Reimbursement for On-Scene Care and Support Act,” was reintroduced Jan. 29 by Vermont Sens. Peter Welch and Bernie Sanders, along with Rep. Becca Balint. The bill would require the federal government to pay for emergency medical services provided to Medicare recipients, according to a news release from Welch’s office.
“Currently, Medicare does not reimburse EMS providers unless the patient is transported to a hospital,” the release said. “However, EMS providers regularly deliver vital services on-scene when responding to 911 calls.”
Upper Pine River Fire Protection District Chief Bruce Evans said paramedics responding to a 911 call are paid only if a patient is delivered via ambulance to a hospital. But, according to the Rural Health Information Hub, some rural patients lack access to primary care providers and instead call 911 to get care for non-emergency health care needs, such as colds, earaches or sprained ankles.
“Some of those expenses are the transportation over to the hospital and then utilizing stuff that isn’t probably appropriate,” Evans said. “Our mobile, integrated health services or community paramedics can go out and treat those people at their home and save the Medicare system a lot of money.”
Providing care for non-life-threatening needs at a patient’s home is more efficient than taking them to a hospital. The department saves money by avoiding ambulance transport, while the health care system saves by not covering a hospital visit. Patients can also remain in their homes.
The legislation would also reimburse EMS agencies for calls they make to assist Medicare recipients with falls at home.
“The people over in the Pine River Valley are pretty hardy people,” Evans said. “We see a lot of people over the age of 80. Those are usually pretty healthy people that if we weren’t there to help them get out of bed or help them off the toilet, they’d be in a nursing home. We’re here to help people stay in their homes.”
Bennet said in the release that it is crucial to pass the bill because EMTs and paramedics deserve compensation for their services, even if they do not deliver someone to a hospital in an ambulance.
“Coloradans should not be forced to make unnecessary trips to the hospital, and our emergency providers should not go without pay for the care they provided,” he said.
While the Senate bill focuses on Medicare, a companion bill introduced in the Colorado House of Representatives by Reps. Lisa Feret and Katie Stewart would require all health insurers in the state to reimburse providers for on-scene treatment.
Evans said the bills come as Colorado faces a significant budget shortfall, in part due to tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that reduced state revenue. If both pass, he said, Upper Pine could launch a community paramedic program offering services such as telehealth visits or prescription pickup for people unable to leave their homes.
“Health care is becoming more expensive, and now there’s an opportunity for us to deliver health care at a much lesser cost in the patient’s home,” he said.
sedmondson@durangoherald.com and jmittleman@durangoherald.com
