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Illinois House Bill HB3048

Illinois 2023-2024 Regular Session

Illinois House Bill HB3048 Compare Versions

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11 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3048 Introduced , by Rep. Lance Yednock SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes ambulance and EMS agencies that are privately held from the definition of "qualifying ground ambulance service provider". LRB103 29926 KTG 56340 b A BILL FOR 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3048 Introduced , by Rep. Lance Yednock SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED: 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes ambulance and EMS agencies that are privately held from the definition of "qualifying ground ambulance service provider". LRB103 29926 KTG 56340 b LRB103 29926 KTG 56340 b A BILL FOR
22 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3048 Introduced , by Rep. Lance Yednock SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
33 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b
44 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b
55 Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes ambulance and EMS agencies that are privately held from the definition of "qualifying ground ambulance service provider".
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1111 1 AN ACT concerning public aid.
1212 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
1313 3 represented in the General Assembly:
1414 4 Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by
1515 5 changing Section 5-5.7b as follows:
1616 6 (305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b)
1717 7 Sec. 5-5.7b. Pandemic related stability payments to
1818 8 ambulance service providers in response to COVID-19.
1919 9 (a) Definitions. As used in this Section:
2020 10 "Ambulance Services Industry" means the industry that is
2121 11 comprised of "Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Providers",
2222 12 as defined in this Section.
2323 13 "Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Provider" means a
2424 14 "vehicle service provider," as that term is defined in Section
2525 15 3.85 of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems Act,
2626 16 which operates licensed ambulances for the purpose of
2727 17 providing emergency, non-emergency ambulance services, or both
2828 18 emergency and non-emergency ambulance services. The term
2929 19 "Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Provider" is limited to
3030 20 ambulance and EMS agencies that are privately held and
3131 21 nonprofit organizations headquartered within the State and
3232 22 licensed by the Department of Public Health as of March 12,
3333 23 2020.
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3737 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY State of Illinois 2023 and 2024 HB3048 Introduced , by Rep. Lance Yednock SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
3838 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b
3939 305 ILCS 5/5-5.7b
4040 Amends the Medical Assistance Article of the Illinois Public Aid Code. Removes ambulance and EMS agencies that are privately held from the definition of "qualifying ground ambulance service provider".
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6868 1 "Eligible worker" means a staff member of a Qualifying
6969 2 Ground Ambulance Service Provider engaged in "essential work",
7070 3 as defined by Section 9901 of the ARPA and related federal
7171 4 guidance, and (1) whose total pay is below 150% of the average
7272 5 annual wage for all occupations in the worker's county of
7373 6 residence, as defined by the BLS Occupational Employment and
7474 7 Wage Statistics or (2) is not exempt from the federal Fair
7575 8 Labor Standards Act overtime provisions.
7676 9 (b) Purpose. The Department may receive federal funds
7777 10 under the authority of legislation passed in response to the
7878 11 Coronavirus epidemic, including, but not limited to, the
7979 12 American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, P.L. 117-2 (the "ARPA").
8080 13 Upon receipt or availability of such State or federal funds,
8181 14 and subject to appropriations for their use, the Department
8282 15 shall establish and administer programs for purposes allowable
8383 16 under Section 9901 of the ARPA to provide financial assistance
8484 17 to Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Providers for premium
8585 18 pay for eligible workers, to provide reimbursement for
8686 19 eligible expenditures, and to provide support following the
8787 20 negative economic impact of the COVID-19 public health
8888 21 emergency on the Ambulance Services Industry. Financial
8989 22 assistance may include, but is not limited to, grants, expense
9090 23 reimbursements, or subsidies.
9191 24 (b-1) By December 31, 2022, the Department shall obtain
9292 25 appropriate documentation from Qualifying Ground Ambulance
9393 26 Service Providers to ascertain an accurate count of the number
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104104 1 of licensed vehicles available to serve enrollees in the
105105 2 State's medical assistance programs, which shall be known as
106106 3 the "total eligible vehicles". By February 28, 2023,
107107 4 Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Providers shall be
108108 5 initially notified of their eligible award, which shall be the
109109 6 product of (i) the total amount of funds allocated under this
110110 7 Section and (ii) a quotient, the numerator of which is the
111111 8 number of licensed ground ambulance vehicles of an individual
112112 9 Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Provider and the
113113 10 denominator of which is the total eligible vehicles. After
114114 11 March 31, 2024, any unobligated funds shall be reallocated pro
115115 12 rata to the remaining Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service
116116 13 Providers that are able to prove up eligible expenses in
117117 14 excess of their initial award amount until all such
118118 15 appropriated funds are exhausted.
119119 16 Providers shall indicate to the Department what portion of
120120 17 their award they wish to allocate under the purposes outlined
121121 18 under paragraphs (d), (e), or (f), if applicable, of this
122122 19 Section.
123123 20 (c) Non-Emergency Service Certification. To be eligible
124124 21 for funding under this Section, a Qualifying Ground Ambulance
125125 22 Service Provider that provides non-emergency services to
126126 23 institutional residents must certify whether or not it is able
127127 24 to provide non-emergency ambulance services to individuals
128128 25 enrolled in the State's Medical Assistance Program and
129129 26 residing in non-institutional settings for at least one year
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140140 1 following the receipt of funding pursuant to this amendatory
141141 2 Act of the 102nd General Assembly. Certification indicating
142142 3 that a provider has such an ability does not mean that a
143143 4 provider is required to accept any or all requested
144144 5 transports.
145145 6 (d) Premium Pay Initiative. Subject to paragraph (c) of
146146 7 this Section, the Department shall establish a Premium Pay
147147 8 Initiative to distribute awards to each Qualifying Ground
148148 9 Ambulance Service Provider for the purpose of providing
149149 10 premium pay to eligible workers.
150150 11 (1) Financial assistance pursuant to this paragraph
151151 12 (d) shall be scaled based on a process determined by the
152152 13 Department. The amount awarded to each Qualifying Ground
153153 14 Ambulance Service Provider shall be up to $13 per hour for
154154 15 each eligible worker employed.
155155 16 (2) The financial assistance awarded shall only be
156156 17 expended for premium pay for eligible workers, which must
157157 18 be in addition to any wages or remuneration the eligible
158158 19 worker has already received and shall be subject to the
159159 20 other requirements and limitations set forth in the ARPA
160160 21 and related federal guidance.
161161 22 (3) Upon receipt of funds, the Qualifying Ground
162162 23 Ambulance Service Provider shall distribute funds such
163163 24 that an eligible worker receives an amount up to $13 per
164164 25 hour but no more than $25,000 for the duration of the
165165 26 program. The Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Provider
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176176 1 shall provide a written certification to the Department
177177 2 acknowledging compliance with this paragraph (d).
178178 3 (4) No portion of these funds shall be spent on
179179 4 volunteer staff.
180180 5 (5) These funds shall not be used to make retroactive
181181 6 premium payments prior to the effective date of this
182182 7 amendatory Act of the 102nd General Assembly.
183183 8 (6) The Department shall require each Qualifying
184184 9 Ground Ambulance Service Provider that receives funds
185185 10 under this paragraph (d) to submit appropriate
186186 11 documentation acknowledging compliance with State and
187187 12 federal law on an annual basis.
188188 13 (e) COVID-19 Response Support Initiative. Subject to
189189 14 paragraph (c) of this Section and based on an application
190190 15 filed by a Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Provider, the
191191 16 Department shall establish the Ground Ambulance COVID-19
192192 17 Response Support Initiative. The purpose of the award shall be
193193 18 to reimburse Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Providers for
194194 19 eligible expenses under Section 9901 of the ARPA related to
195195 20 the public health impacts of the COVID-19 public health
196196 21 emergency, including, but not limited to: (i) costs incurred
197197 22 due to the COVID-19 public health emergency; (ii) costs
198198 23 related to vaccination programs, including vaccine incentives;
199199 24 (iii) costs related to COVID-19 testing; (iv) costs related to
200200 25 COVID-19 prevention and treatment equipment; (v) expenses for
201201 26 medical supplies; (vi) expenses for personal protective
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212212 1 equipment; (vii) costs related to isolation and quarantine;
213213 2 (viii) costs for ventilation system installation and
214214 3 improvement; (ix) costs related to other emergency response
215215 4 equipment, such as ground ambulances, ventilators, cardiac
216216 5 monitoring equipment, defibrillation equipment, pacing
217217 6 equipment, ambulance stretchers, and radio equipment; and (x)
218218 7 other emergency medical response expenses.
219219 8 (1) The award shall be for eligible obligated
220220 9 expenditures incurred no earlier than May 1, 2022 and no
221221 10 later than June 30, 2024. Expenditures under this
222222 11 paragraph must be incurred by June 30, 2025.
223223 12 (2) Funds awarded under this paragraph (e) shall not
224224 13 be expended for premium pay to eligible workers.
225225 14 (3) The Department shall require each Qualifying
226226 15 Ground Ambulance Service Provider that receives funds
227227 16 under this paragraph (e) to submit appropriate
228228 17 documentation acknowledging compliance with State and
229229 18 federal law on an annual basis. For purchases of medical
230230 19 equipment or other capital expenditures, the Qualifying
231231 20 Ground Ambulance Service Provider shall include
232232 21 documentation that describes the harm or need to be
233233 22 addressed by the expenditures and how that capital
234234 23 expenditure is appropriate to address that identified harm
235235 24 or need.
236236 25 (f) Ambulance Industry Recovery Program. If the Department
237237 26 designates the Ambulance Services Industry as an "impacted
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248248 1 industry", as defined by the ARPA and related federal
249249 2 guidance, the Department shall establish the Ambulance
250250 3 Industry Recovery Grant Program, to provide aid to Qualifying
251251 4 Ground Ambulance Service Providers that experienced staffing
252252 5 losses due to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
253253 6 (1) Funds awarded under this paragraph (f) shall not
254254 7 be expended for premium pay to eligible workers.
255255 8 (2) Each Qualifying Ground Ambulance Service Provider
256256 9 that receives funds under this paragraph (f) shall comply
257257 10 with paragraph (c) of this Section.
258258 11 (3) The Department shall require each Qualifying
259259 12 Ground Ambulance Service Provider that receives funds
260260 13 under this paragraph (f) to submit appropriate
261261 14 documentation acknowledging compliance with State and
262262 15 federal law on an annual basis.
263263 16 (Source: P.A. 102-699, eff. 4-19-22; 102-1118, eff. 1-18-23.)
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