Policy: How to Fix Ambulance Balance Billing

Ground ambulance billing is the last major gap in U.S. surprise billing protections. This page outlines the kinds of legislative and regulatory changes needed to close that gap.

Core goals

• Ban balance billing for all ground ambulance transports.
• Treat ambulance rides like other emergency services under federal law.
• Protect uninsured and self-pay patients from extreme pricing.
• Standardize reimbursement rules so patients aren’t stuck in the middle of disputes.

Key policy ideas

• Extend federal surprise billing protections to ground ambulances nationwide.
• Cap patient cost-sharing at in-network emergency levels for insured patients.
• Set reasonable limits on what providers can bill uninsured patients.
• Require transparent publishing of typical ambulance charges and insurer payments.

Data & research (coming soon)

This section will eventually link to:

• Studies on ambulance billing patterns and amounts
• State-by-state policy comparisons
• Model legislation and regulatory language

If you have research to share or want to collaborate on policy analysis, please reach out.