We encourage the White House to take into account the findings of the May 2007 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on the costs of providing ground ambulance services to Medicare patients. In the report, the GAO determined that ambulance service providers and suppliers are reimbursed by Medicare on average 6 percent below their costs. For providers and suppliers serving super rural areas, the GAO found the disparity between Medicare reimbursement and costs to be an astounding 17 percent.
Adjustments in Ambulance reimbursements would help ensure that EMS agencies can maintain an operational status and that all citizens have access to emergency care.