Medicare: Paying for Emergency Care Without Hospital Transport
A house committee must act next: committee consideration.
This bill has support from both Republicans and Democrats, which helps its chances. It is currently being reviewed by House committees to see how much it would cost and how it would work.
Scores run from -100 (strongly harmful) to +100 (strongly beneficial) for each group, combining impact, certainty, scope, and duration ratings of 1-5. How impact scoring works
Many ground ambulance services are small, locally owned companies that currently lose money when they respond to a call but do not transport the patient, since Medicare typically will not pay for that visit. The bill sets payment rates that generally match what they would have earned for a transport, giving these providers a new, more reliable revenue stream for treat-in-place calls.
“The Secretary shall set payment rates for services furnished under the model described in paragraph (1) in a manner that generally aligns such payments with the payments that would have been made for such services had such services resulted in a transport payable under section 1834(l).”
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Senators Susan Collins and Peter Welch proposed a five-year CMS pilot to reimburse “treat-in-place” care, building on pandemic-era savings of $500+ per encounter. The bill aims to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and strengthen local EMS response by allowing on-scene reimbursement.
This analysis discusses the termination of the ET3 model and the subsequent introduction of the CARE Act of 2025. It highlights the economic case for allowing Medicare to pay for treatment in place, noting that such models have the potential to save hundreds of millions of dollars.
The American Ambulance Association is advocating for the Comprehensive Alternative Response for Emergencies (CARE) Act (H.R. 2538 / S. 3145). The bill would create a Medicare payment model reimbursing ambulance crews for treating patients on-site without hospital transport.
No votes recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
CARE Act of 2025
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.