Air ambulances charged an average four to 10 times what Medicare paid for their services in 2016, according to a study reported this week in Health Affairs. The national median charge was $39,000 in 2016, about 60% more than in 2012, the study found. “Our results suggest that without congressional or regulatory effort to address air ambulance billing practices, patients — who in emergencies have few options and little bargaining power — are at risk of exposure to excessive charges,” the authors said. The Lower Health Care Costs Act, approved last week by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, would pay air ambulance providers a benchmark rate and limit patients’ cost sharing for out-of-network services to the in-network requirement. The AHA supports addressing air ambulances in a federal solution to end surprise medical bills, but has serious concerns with using a benchmark rate to resolve payments between health plans and out-of-network providers.

Related News Articles

Headline
The Healthcare Association of New York State Sept. 16 announced Bea Grause, R.N., its president and CEO, will retire in summer 2026. Grause was active for many…
Blog
Public
The Paragon Health Institute has published a series of new reports once again alleging large-scale “fraud” in health care. This time their target is enrollment…
Headline
The American Organization for Nursing Leadership Aug, 15 announced that Stuart Downs, DNP, R.N., was elected as the 2026 president-elect of the AONL Board of…
Headline
The AHA yesterday responded to a request for information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on price transparency policy, specifically the…
Headline
The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury have certified two more independent dispute resolution entities, bringing the total…
Headline
The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury May 22 released several new guidance documents and requests for information on price…