There has been a huge push to bring the medical air transportation industry under the ambit of state regulations. The efforts by the state governments come after several instances of humongous air ambulance bills and the public outcry against them. Almost all of the cases filed against these high charges have been met with futility, owing to the Airlines Deregulation Act of 1978, which does not allow states to interfere in the matters of medical air transportation industry. However, the new FAA Reauthorization Bill seems to be heading towards a major overhaul of the way medical flight services bill patients.
FAA Reauthorization Bill will Affect the Medical Air Transportation Industry
The Airlines Deregulation Act of 1978 only pertains to the flight services. Now, the new FAA bill seeks to separate the medical part from the flying part of air ambulance services. This has got the industry biggies worried. They have voiced their concern saying that this kind of separation is next to impossible, mainly because the two are so closely fused together that it is hard to distinguish them. Concerns have also been raised that the state governments may veer towards the air ambulance services that belong to their states as it would be easier to regulate and control them when huge bills are drawn.
The Other Side of the Story is Quite Different
A lot of the industry experts have voiced their opinion saying that the fears surrounding FAA Reauthorization Bill are unfounded. They feel that governments would never inhibit the functioning or access to life-saving services by prohibiting their movements across states when it is a question of life and death. The experts also draw attention to the fact that ground ambulances have been cross state borders every day without any problems. They question why air ambulances should be worried.
