House Bill 1489 entitled the Mississippi Triage, Treat, and Transport to an Alternative Destination Act, went into effect July 1 requiring insurance companies to cover all costs for emergency care. Todd Jones, Covington County Hospital Director of EMS, and David Culpepper, Director of Marketing, were on hand for the signing of the bill on Wednesday in Jackson at the Mississippi Capitol.
The passing of the bill will benefit patients by reducing out-of-pocket costs, and CCH Ambulance Service will have additional funding available for improved service.
The bill will increase how much private insurance companies must pay ambulance companies for services provided. Currently, if an ambulance treats a patient, and the patient refuses to be transported to a hospital, the ambulance service is not paid for the onsite treatment. Under the new act, insurers would be required to pay for treatment in place when a patient is not transported to a hospital.
The minimum allowable reimbursement rate will be the greater of 325 percent of the reimbursement allowed by Medicare or the ambulance service’s billed charges. Previously, insurance company payouts were not enough to cover the services provided.
“This should be a game-changer for us,” said Todd Jones, CCH EMS Director. “Prior to this law, oftentimes, insurance companies would not reimburse for our services or the supplies used in the field.”
HB1489 only affects commercial insurance providers and excludes Medicaid or Medicare insurance. Uninsured patients will still be responsible for paying for ambulance service.
“With the passage of this bill, we plan to reinvest in our equipment and staff and better serve the people of Covington County,” said Jones.
Pictured, Governor Tate Reeves signed HB 1489 into law on Wednesday at the state capitol. Todd Jones and David Culpepper are pictured on the back row on the right representing Covington County Hospital.
