Public hearing set for proposed EMS transport fees in Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - Medical insurance companies could soon be footing the bill when it comes to EMS ambulance transport services in Montgomery County and the Town of Blacksburg. Neither currently has a transport fee in place, the only two localities in the region.

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Monday night to hold a public hearing June 12 to vote on amending the county code to add the transport fees.

The county provided some bullet points outlining what would happen if the supervisors decide to approve amending the code that you can find below:

• “What is EMS Services Recovery? An EMS Revenue Recovery program obtains reimbursement for emergency medical transport costs from insurance providers. Medicaid, Medicare, and most other insurance policies provide standard coverage for this service.
• Individuals will not be billed if this moves forward. The individual’s private insurance provider, Medicare, or Medicaid will be billed. Individuals will not receive a bill and will not be expected to pay anything out-of-pocket.
• In addition, no one will be asked for insurance information when an ambulance arrives. The person being transported will never be asked about insurance coverage or to provide documentation of coverage. If coverage exists, an EMS Revenue Recovery vendor will work with the hospital to obtain that information. No person will ever be denied access to EMS care based on their ability to pay. Those without insurance will not receive a bill, nor be responsible for payment.
• If Montgomery County moves forward with this, the funds recovered through this program will be reinvested into emergency services within Montgomery County. The funds will help offset operating and capital costs to support the provision of high quality pre-hospital emergency medical services throughout our community.”

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