Lawmakers hope to make insurance plans cough up the cash for ambulance transports. (Getty Images)
Need an ambulance? Some Hoosiers might find themselves out of luck.
The state has lost hundreds of paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and ambulances since 2018 — with multiple independent emergency medical services (EMS) providers shutting down — even as 911 calls climb.
EMS providers say insurance stinginess is complicating their financial stability and forcing them to hand big bills to unwitting Hoosiers. They’re turning to legislation to force health plans to pay out-of-network providers for transports.
Businesses, however, say House Bill 1385 would disproportionately affect small and medium employers, forcing them to pass costs along to staff and customers.
Experts and lawmakers alike pointed fingers aplenty during nearly two hours of discussion Wednesday.
That prompted Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, to dub the problem a “classic” example of the three failures theory: by government, by the for-profit market and by the non-profit sector.