A Texas senator has introduced a bill that aims to protect patients from surprise medical bills from ground ambulance emergency trips, CBS affiliate KBTX reported April 19.
The proposed legislation would prohibit municipalities from engaging in balance billing and prevent patients from receiving surprise bills when their insurers refuse to cover the costs, according to the report.
The legislation has support from the Texas EMS Alliance, according to the report. Ricky Reeves, a representative for the group, said the bill puts the responsibility on insurance companies to pay a "reasonable, adequate rate" to EMS providers.