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Advocacy

AAMS Public Policy Efforts

AAMS advocates on behalf of the medical transport community to ensure sustainability, increase medical quality and patient safety, and maintain access to healthcare for thousands of communities we serve.

Highly active in both the healthcare and aviation policy arenas, AAMS staff works on behalf of our members through our established relationships with federal legislators and stakeholder departments responsible for legislation policy and implementation.

 

Medicare Reform

AAMS continues to work with Congressional members and staff to increase transparency in the costs of providing air ambulance, analyze those costs and allow Medicare to change the reimbursement rates based on that analysis, and to substantially change Medicare payment policy to allow air ambulances to bill Medicare for the services they provide patients in addition to the standard rates for transportation. We believe this policy helps to recognize the substantial investment made by air ambulance providers to provide critical care while in the air; recognizing that while the transport is essential, there is a continuous level of care provided to the patient that needs to be supported financially, just as the care provided in the facility is supported. We believe this policy will provide for the sustainability of air ambulance services while simultaneously driving an increase in capability and quality care.

Support H.R.3691 / S.1803: Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2023  

 

 

Department of Veteran Affairs

The Veteran’s Administration continues plans to lower its transportation rate to parity with Medicare. AAMS has asked the VA to delay this implementation until data collection efforts at CMS required by the NSA. AAMS and AAMS members have the gained the support of offices in Congress, and have been working with the Committees of jurisdiction on multiple information requests to the VA. 

The VA Emergency Transportation Access Act (S.2757 / H.R.5530) has been introduced in Congress. This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will protect Veterans' access to emergency ground and air medical services by requiring the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to perform a thorough study of the impact of any change to reimbursement rates prior to modifying the current rates.

Support S.2757 / H.R. 5530, the VA Emergency Transportation Access Act


 

Transparency in Coverage

On July 1, 2022, the Transparency in Coverage Final Rule requiring insurers to publicly disclose the rates they have negotiated with participating providers for all covered services and items, as well as the allowed and billed amounts for out-of-network providers, went into effect.  This information will include negotiated in-network rates for services as well as “allowed amounts” which are the maximum rates insurers will pay for a given service (as opposed to billed amounts which are what providers charge). While this information will be of tremendous value to healthcare consumers, so far very few insurers have complied with the new rule, and the format which they are required to submit this information (a “machine readable file” may make the information hopelessly difficult to understand.