Preserve Access to Lifesaving Air Ambulances, Urge Officials to Take Action
Last year, Congress passed the No Surprises Act, which finally took patients out of the middle of billing disputes between health care providers and insurance companies. Unfortunately, however, as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services begins to implement this important law, it has issued an Interim Final Rule on Surprise Billing that will allow insurance companies to cut reimbursement to emergency air ambulance providers. This unworkable rule gives insurance companies enormous leverage over health care providers and will drastically reduce emergency air ambulance access to vulnerable parts of the country.
We need members of Congress to weigh in. If changes are not made to this rule, emergency air ambulance bases will close and patients will lose access to critical care, especially in remote and underserved areas.
Take action today and urge Congress to tell the Biden Administration to fix this rule and protect patient access to lifesaving air medical services.
Dear [Decisionmaker],
As the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services begins to implement the No Surprises Act, it has issued an Interim Final Rule on Surprise Billing that will allow insurance companies to cut reimbursement to emergency air ambulance providers.
I strongly urge you to use your position in Congress to call on the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to revise this rule and ensure it is balanced and workable. Specifically, the rule should account for different types of air medical providers since some are affiliated with hospitals and others, such as independent air medical providers, serve mostly rural communities. Please ask HHS and OMB to protect these lifesaving flights, especially in rural and underserved areas of the country, which have already seen waves of hospital closures.
Thank you,
[Your Name]
