HB1776

House Bill 1776 establishes a framework for the minimum allowable reimbursement rates that health insurance plans must pay to ground ambulance service providers in Arkansas. The bill defines ground ambulance service providers and health benefit plans, specifically excluding certain types of coverage such as Medicaid, workers' compensation, and state employee plans. It mandates that reimbursement rates for ambulance services must either match the rates approved or contracted by local government entities or, in the absence of such agreements, follow the lower of either the Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission fee schedule or the provider's billed charges. The legislation also requires insurers to make payments directly to the ambulance service providers within thirty days of receiving a claim. It stipulates that these payments shall be considered payment in full, excluding standard patient cost-sharing requirements like copayments or deductibles, and prohibits insurers from sending payments to the enrollee.