Senator Webb and the Senate Majority Pass Legislation Supporting Emergency Medical Service Providers & Enhancing Safety

(Binghamton, NY) Senator Webb and the Senate Democratic Majority have passed a comprehensive legislative package to equip New York’s emergency service providers with the resources they need to continue saving lives. This package includes critical measures such as providing Medicaid reimbursements to medical service agencies for point-of-response treatment without requiring further medical evaluations, expanding the ability of ambulances to administer life-saving blood transfusions, recognizing general ambulance services as essential, and offering financial relief to our state’s emergency medical service first responders.

“Emergency medical services are in crisis across Upstate NY, especially in the rural communities I represent in the Southern Tier,” said Senator Lea Webb. “Across my district, we are seeing EMS providers dealing with staffing shortages, increased call volume, prolonged wait times, and reimbursement issues. In rural areas, where volunteer numbers have been in decline in recent years, it has become increasingly difficult for EMS to provide timely responses. This legislative package will ensure that these highly-trained public servants get the support they deserve, so that they can provide timely and reliable emergency response and pre-hospital care to New Yorkers.”

The legislation passed by Senator Webb and the Senate Democratic Majority includes:

• Medicaid Reimbursement for Treatment in Place/Alternate Provider Transportation: This bill, S.8486B, sponsored by Senator Michelle Hinchey, would authorize Medicaid reimbursements to emergency medical service agencies for providing emergency medical care to Medicaid enrollees without requiring the transportation of these patients from the place where medical care was administered. In addition, it permits Medicaid payments to be made to EMS services when they transport individuals to alternative care facilities instead of only hospitals. 
• Permitting More Ambulances to Administer Blood Transfusions: This bill, S.6226A, sponsored by Senator Michelle Hinchey, would permit more ambulance services and advanced life support first responders to store, administer and distribute blood. All ambulances, whether airborne or grounded, would qualify to transfuse blood products to patients to resuscitate them during transport. 
• Uniform Ambulance Service Assessment: This bill, S.5122, sponsored by Senator Gustavo Rivera, would allow the NYS DOH to charge ambulance service providers a universal service assessment fee to cover increased medical assistant payment rates for their services.  
• Increasing Volunteer Firefighter/Ambulance Worker Tax Credit: This bill, S.7286A,  sponsored by Senator Monica Martinez, would increase the volunteer firefighters’ and ambulance workers’ personal income tax credit from $200 to $800 for eligible individuals, and from $400 to $1,600 for eligible married joint filers. This legislation allows for volunteer firefighters and ambulances working to claim both state income and local property tax credits. 
• Strengthening Support for EMS Services: This bill, S.4020C, sponsored by Senator Shelley Mayer, would declare general ambulance services as an essential service, establish special districts for the financing and operation of generation ambulance services, and provide for a statewide comprehensive emergency medical system plan. 

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Senator Webb's Floor Speech for S.4020C