Rep. Ron Lewis to support Medicare reimbursement at actual cost

By JOHN HULTGREN
Kentucky EMS Connection

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Ron Lewis (KY 02) today agreed to co-sponsor and support a federal bill that would reimburse ambulance services at the actual run costs.

Rep. Lewis made this commitment after meeting today with the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association and the American Ambulance Association in Washington, D.C.

The General Accounting Office has been working for over a year to determine what it actually costs to make an ambulance transport on the national level. H.R. 2014 would factor in those costs.

KAPA also met with other federal congresspeople who indicated that they preferred to follow the lead of Rep. Lewis, who is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

"Rep. Lewis is taking the lead in obtaining more realistic funding for ambulance providers. We applaud his willingness to work with the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association and his dedication to emergency providers in Kentucky," said Mark Harrison, president of the Kentucky Ambulance Providers Association.

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