2025 -- H 5772
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LC001241
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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A N A C T
RELATING TO INSURANCE-- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES
Introduced By: Representatives McEntee, Spears, Fogarty, Cotter, Donovan, Azzinaro,
Kennedy, Edwards, Caldwell, and Noret
Date Introduced: February 26, 2025
Referred To: House Finance
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
SECTION 1. Section 27-18-69 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-18 entitled "Accident 1
and Sickness Insurance Policies" is hereby amended to read as follows: 2
27-18-69. Licensed ambulance service. 3
(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan or policy delivered, issued for 4
delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009 shall provide for a co-payment for 5
ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 6
(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 7
provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-8
6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 9
of Rhode Island. 10
(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 11
providing benefits for: (1) hospital confinement indemnity; (2) disability income; (3) accident only; 12
(4) long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) limited benefit health; (7) specified disease 13
indemnity; (8) sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and (9) other limited benefit 14
policies. 15
(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 16
or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 17
services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 18
purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 19
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constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 1
persons who are sick or injured. 2
SECTION 2. Section 27-19-60 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-19 entitled "Nonprofit 3
Hospital Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 4
27-19-60. Licensed ambulance service. 5
(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for 6
delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009, shall provide for a copayment for 7
ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 8
(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 9
provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-10
6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 11
of Rhode Island. 12
(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 13
providing benefits for: (1) Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) Disability income; (3) Accident 14
only; (4) Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) Limited benefit health; (7) Specified 15
disease indemnity; (8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident, or both; and (9) Other limited 16
benefit policies. 17
(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 18
or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 19
services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 20
purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 21
constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 22
persons who are sick or injured. 23
SECTION 3. Section 27-20-55 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-20 entitled "Nonprofit 24
Medical Service Corporations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 25
27-20-55. Licensed ambulance service. 26
(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for 27
delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009, shall provide for a copayment for 28
ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 29
(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 30
provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-31
6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 32
of Rhode Island. 33
(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 34
LC001241 - Page 3 of 5
providing benefits for: (1) Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) Disability income; (3) Accident 1
only; (4) Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) Limited benefit health; (7) Specified 2
disease indemnity; (8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident, or both; and (9) Other limited 3
benefit policies. 4
(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 5
or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 6
services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 7
purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 8
constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 9
persons who are sick or injured. 10
SECTION 4. Section 27-41-73 of the General Laws in Chapter 27-41 entitled "Health 11
Maintenance Organizations" is hereby amended to read as follows: 12
27-41-73. Licensed ambulance service. 13
(a) No individual or group health insurance contract, plan, or policy delivered, issued for 14
delivery, or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2009, shall provide for a copayment for 15
ground ambulance services in excess of fifty dollars ($50.00). 16
(b) As used in this section, the term “ground ambulance services” shall mean those services 17
provided by an ambulance service licensed to operate in Rhode Island in accordance with § 23-4.1-18
6. The term excludes air and water ambulance services and ambulance services provided outside 19
of Rhode Island. 20
(c) Subsections (a) and (b) of this This section shall not apply to insurance coverage 21
providing benefits for: (1) Hospital confinement indemnity; (2) Disability income; (3) Accident 22
only; (4) Long-term care; (5) Medicare supplement; (6) Limited benefit health; (7) Specified 23
disease indemnity; (8) Sickness or bodily injury or death by accident or both; and (9) Other limited 24
benefit policies. 25
(d) Individual and group health insurance contracts, plans, and policies issued for delivery, 26
or renewed in this state on or after January 1, 2026 shall provide reimbursement rates for ambulance 27
services equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For 28
purposes of this section, "ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, 29
constructed, equipped, and operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of 30
persons who are sick or injured. 31
SECTION 5. Chapter 40-8 of the General Laws entitled "Medical Assistance" is hereby 32
amended by adding thereto the following section: 33
40-8-33. Medicaid reimbursement rate increase. 34
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Medicaid reimbursement rates for ambulance services shall be equal to reimbursement 1
rates provided by Medicare for the same medical services. For purposes of this section, 2
"ambulance" means any publicly or privately owned vehicle, designed, constructed, equipped, and 3
operated for emergency medical treatment and/or transportation of persons who are sick or injured. 4
SECTION 6. This act shall take effect on January 1, 2026. 5
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO INSURANCE-- ACCIDENT AND SICKNESS INSURANCE POLICIES
***
This act would increase individual, group, and Medicaid insurance rates of reimbursement 1
for ambulance services to be equal to reimbursement rates provided by Medicare for the same 2
medical services. 3
This act would take effect on January 1, 2026. 4
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