Dear (Representative or Senator) _____:

______is an EMS Agency in ______(include personal info on your agency).

I am contacting you today as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS)Agency in your district who responds24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week to your constituent’s emergencies andrequests. Just like us,the Commonwealth’sambulance servicesare fiscally hemorrhaging from harmful cuts in insurance reimbursement. The most prominent of these harmful cuts is the paltry reimbursement for our life sustaining efforts from the Medical Assistance (MA)fee-for-service program and their contracted Managed Care Organizations (MCOs).

Pennsylvania’s ambulance services have suffered under draconian MA payment rates for ambulance service since they initiated provider reimbursementfour decades ago. The reimbursement rate has changed only twicein four decades and currentlyis 200% below Medicare and commercial insurance rates and 70% below ourmaterial cost to provide the service. More recently, reimbursement for mileage under MA was essentially eradicated causing even a more profound fiscal impactto ground and aero-medical ambulance services.

While MA reimbursement isn’t the sole factor for our fiscal hemorrhage, it is oneprincipalfactor that the General Assemblyhas the ability to summarily remedy. Legislative efforts are underway through House Bill 699 and the General Fund Budget aimed at increasing reimbursement rates for MA ambulance treatment and transportation,as well as addressing the mileage issue,for both MA fee-for-service AND the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs).

Pennsylvania’s EMS System has come to a point where escalating costs have met declining reimbursement head on. With the Governor’s expansion ofMedicaid,706,000 enrollees have been added increasing theMedical Assistancemix or our reimbursement to 10-30% of our payable calls. Coupled with the time that has elapsed without any increase and harmful cuts through mileage eradication, it is imperative that the General Assembly act now to prevent the complete exsanguination of our EMS System.

We respectfully request you consider supporting an increase in Medical Assistance ambulance treatment and transportation rates by 50%via the FY 2017-2018 General Fund Budget. We understand this action to have a fiscal impact of approximately $16 million. We also respectfully ask that you send a letter toyour Leadership and Appropriation Committeein support of this budget item.

Thank you for your consideration of this dire request.We are committed to carrying on our mission of serving Pennsylvanians when they are the most vulnerable and in their time of greatest need. However, in order to continue our mission and survive, we require your help and support to increase the MA reimbursement rate along with restoration of the mileage payment.

Our EMS System presently has no sustainable funding mechanism to avert a public safety crisis or an impending system collapse. This reimbursement change is only one small piece to stay this fiscal hemorrhage and a widespread reduced access to care.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at your convenience.

Sincerely,