Colorado lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that would curtail public ambulances from balance billing patients for services.
Currently, ambulance providers bill a patient’s insurance, but if the service is considered out-of-network, insurance companies determine how much they will cover—often not the full amount. The remaining balance is then passed on to the patient, a practice known as “balance billing.”
In 2020, the federal No Surprises Act offered protections for private ambulance services, but ground ambulance charges remained unregulated.
The proposed bill would require insurance providers to either increase reimbursement rates or cover the full cost of locally set ambulance charges, Denver 7 reports. Legislators proposing the bill say it would protect patients while ensuring fair compensation for ambulance providers.
Insurance companies caution that the new law would lead to higher premiums.
