Medicare: Ambulance Payment Updates
A house committee must act next: committee consideration.
The bill has strong support from both parties, which helps its chances, but it still needs to go through several committees before it can be voted on.
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 and air ambulance companies are private, small operators that depend on Medicare reimbursement to stay financially viable. The bill ties future payments more closely to actual costs, which could raise reimbursement for underpaid services, but it also adds new mandatory cost-reporting requirements for air ambulance providers, with reduced payments if they fail to report.
“require providers and suppliers of air ambulance services to submit, in such form and manner and at such time as specified by the Secretary in accordance with clause (iii), information described in section 106(a)(2) of the No Surprises Act”
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.
U.S. Reps. August Pfluger and John Joyce introduced the RESCUE Act of 2026 to update the Medicare ambulance fee schedule, which hasn't been revised since 2002. The bill requires CMS to update rates every three years based on actual cost data to ensure providers can cover rising expenses.
Introduced by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the RESCUE Act of 2026 seeks to close the gap between Medicare reimbursement and the actual cost of emergency medical services. The bill mandates cost-data reporting and regular payment updates to sustain critical EMS infrastructure.
No votes or related bills recorded for this bill yet.
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
RESCUE Act of 2026
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