Medical flight services are, often, a necessity to save lives when immediate medical attention is critical. This is especially true in cases of accidental trauma and strokes where swift medical help becomes an absolute necessity. What comes along, however, is a huge bill for the air ambulance services availed that the patient does not realize until it arrives. This happens when the health insurance provider refuses to cover the entire bill charged by air ambulance services and the balance is forced upon the patient. The public, at large, today, is aware of this situation and hence the new bill hopes to give the control to the patient.
The Patients Will Now Have Say in Availing Air Ambulance Services
Thus far, it has been the treating physicians who have been deciding whether air ambulance services are necessary or not. However, now, a new bill passed by the State of Virginia will change this. The patients will be able to choose between ground ambulance services and air ambulance services. This also means that they would be well aware of the costs that might come along. The bill is called ‘SB 663 Air medical transportation; informed decision’. It will come into effect from March of 2019. The bill was passed with zero votes against it in the House and the Senate of the state. The bill was introduced by Jeremy S. McPike.
The Factor that Prompted the Bill
The ongoing debate of whether air ambulance services are too highly priced or the health insurance providers are unfairly refusing coverage seems to see no end. In the meanwhile, efforts at regulating them to cover the charges have proven futile. However, the patients are still being served huge medical bills. The new law that will come into effect next year seeks to change this, at least, in the state of Virginia for now.
