2025 TASA Legislative Priorities

Link= 2025 TASA Legislative Priorities

• 1. Ground Ambulance Service Provider Assessment Act – SB747/HB171
    Sponsors- Senator Yager, Ken; Rep. Randy, Jay
  • • • • Extends the ground ambulance service annual assessment to June 30, 2026. Requires the ambulance
          provider to pay an assessment to the bureau no more than 45 days after the day on which the bureau
          issues the ambulance provider notice of the assessment. Allows the office of emergency services to
          provide the bureau with additional data, including reports containing protected health information, as
          needed to ensure the assessment program remains in compliance with state and federal laws.
        • Legislation sunsets each year, extremely successful across TN for the past six years
        • Designed to address specific needs of the ambulance service industry to improve access to TennCare
          patients across Tennessee.
        • Fully funded by ambulance providers and the Federal Government- NO STATE Funds
        • Amendment Summary
          • Senate Health & Welfare Committee amendment 1, Senate Health & Welfare Committee amendment 1,
            House TennCare Subcommittee amendment 1 (003595) rewrites the bill. Present law requires an
            ambulance provider to pay an assessment to the bureau of TennCare no more than 30 business days
            after the day on which the bureau issues the ambulance provider notice of the assessment. Increases
            such time period from 30 business days to 45 calendar days. Requires the office of emergency services to
            provide the commissioner of health with full access to ambulance run reports maintained by the office.
          • Subcommittee Amendments
            • Specifies that the commission of health may provide the bureau of TennCare with ambulance run report
              data and additional requested data, including reports containing protected health information, as
              needed to ensure the assessment program remains in compliance with state and federal laws. Present
              law provides that the ground ambulance provider assessment established by current law terminates on
              June 30, 2025. Extends such assessment until June 30, 2026.
            • Provides $30 million statewide to ambulance providers for emergency TennCare transports
• 2. Reimbursement for ground-based ambulance services- SB748/HB201
  Sponsors Senator Yager, Ken; Rep. Hicks, Gary
  • • • Requires the bureau of TennCare to reimburse a public or private ground-based ambulance service that
        bills for transport and has a base of operations in this state that provides a covered emergency service to a
        TennCare recipient at a rate not less than 67.5% of the federal Medicare program’s allowable chare for
        participating providers and 100% of the federal Medicare programs allowable charge for covered
        nonemergency services.
      • Fiscal Note:
        • General Fund FY25-26 & Subsequent years $2,265,800
        • Federal Government expenditures FY25-26 & Subsequent years $4,085,000
      • Non-emergency ambulance services are EXCLUDED from the current Ground Ambulance Service Provider
        Assessment Act due to CMS guidance.
      • Non-emergency TennCare transports are missing out on $229.50 per transport by being excluded from the
        Provider Assessment Act.
      • This would help level the reimbursement for all TennCare ambulance transports and would improve
        availbility of non-emergency ambulance transportation throughout the State