Rhode Island 2025 Regular Session

Rhode Island House Bill H5772 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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5	5	2025 -- H 5772
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7	7	LC001241
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9	9	S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
10	10	IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
11	11	JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
12	12	____________
13	13
14	14	A N A C T
15	15	RELATING TO INSURANCE-- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES
16	16	Introduced By: Representatives McEntee, Spears, Fogarty, Cotter, Donovan, Azzinaro,
17	17	Kennedy, Edwards, Caldwell, and Noret
18	18	Date Introduced: February 26, 2025
19	19	Referred To: House Finance
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21	21
22	22	It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
23	23	SECTION 1. Section 27-18-69 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-18 entitled "Accident 1
24	24	and Sickness Insurance Policies" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
25	25	27-18-69. Licensed ambulance service. 3
26	26	(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan or policy delivered, issued for 4
27	27	delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009 shall provide for a co-payment for 5
28	28	ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 6
29	29	(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 7
30	30	provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-8
31	31	6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 9
32	32	of Rhode Island. 10
33	33	(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 11
34	34	providing benefits for: (1) hospital confinement indemnity; (2) disability income; (3) accident only; 12
35	35	(4) long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) limited benefit health; (7) specified disease 13
36	36	indemnity; (8) sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and (9) other limited benefit 14
37	37	policies. 15
38	38	(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 16
39	39	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 17
40	40	services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 18
41	41	purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 19
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44	44	LC001241 - Page 2 of 5
45	45	constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 1
46	46	persons who are sick or injured. 2
47	47	SECTION 2. Section 27-19-60 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-19 entitled "Nonprofit 3
48	48	Hospital Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 4
49	49	27-19-60. Licensed ambulance service. 5
50	50	(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for 6
51	51	delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009, shall provide for a copayment for 7
52	52	ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 8
53	53	(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 9
54	54	provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-10
55	55	6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 11
56	56	of Rhode Island. 12
57	57	(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 13
58	58	providing benefits for: (1) Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) Disability income; (3) Accident 14
59	59	only; (4) Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) Limited benefit health; (7) Specified 15
60	60	disease indemnity; (8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident, or both; and (9) Other limited 16
61	61	benefit policies. 17
62	62	(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 18
63	63	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 19
64	64	services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 20
65	65	purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 21
66	66	constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 22
67	67	persons who are sick or injured. 23
68	68	SECTION 3. Section 27-20-55 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-20 entitled "Nonprofit 24
69	69	Medical Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 25
70	70	27-20-55. Licensed ambulance service. 26
71	71	(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for 27
72	72	delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009, shall provide for a copayment for 28
73	73	ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 29
74	74	(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 30
75	75	provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-31
76	76	6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 32
77	77	of Rhode Island. 33
78	78	(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 34
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80	80
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82	82	providing benefits for: (1) Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) Disability income; (3) Accident 1
83	83	only; (4) Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) Limited benefit health; (7) Specified 2
84	84	disease indemnity; (8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident, or both; and (9) Other limited 3
85	85	benefit policies. 4
86	86	(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 5
87	87	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 6
88	88	services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 7
89	89	purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 8
90	90	constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 9
91	91	persons who are sick or injured. 10
92	92	SECTION 4. Section 27-41-73 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-41 entitled "Health 11
93	93	Maintenance Organizations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 12
94	94	27-41-73. Licensed ambulance service. 13
95	95	(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for 14
96	96	delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009, shall provide for a copayment for 15
97	97	ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 16
98	98	(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 17
99	99	provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-18
100	100	6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 19
101	101	of Rhode Island. 20
102	102	(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 21
103	103	providing benefits for: (1) Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) Disability income; (3) Accident 22
104	104	only; (4) Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) Limited benefit health; (7) Specified 23
105	105	disease indemnity; (8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and (9) Other limited 24
106	106	benefit policies. 25
107	107	(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 26
108	108	or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 27
109	109	services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 28
110	110	purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 29
111	111	constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 30
112	112	persons who are sick or injured. 31
113	113	SECTION 5. Chapter 40-8 of the General Laws entitled "Medical Assistance" is hereby 32
114	114	amended by adding thereto the following section: 33
115	115	40-8-33. Medicaid reimbursement rate increase. 34
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119	119	Medicaid reimbursement rates for ambulance services shall be equal to reimbursement 1
120	120	rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For purposes of this section, 2
121	121	"ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, constructed, equipped, and 3
122	122	operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of persons who are sick or injured. 4
123	123	SECTION 6. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2026. 5
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130	130	EXPLANATION
131	131	BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
132	132	OF
133	133	A N A C T
134	134	RELATING TO INSURANCE-- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES
135	135	***
136	136	This act would increase individual, group, and Medicaid insurance rates of reimbursement 1
137	137	for ambulance services to be equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same 2
138	138	medical services. 3
139	139	This act would take effect on January 1, 2026. 4
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141	141	LC001241
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