Relates to community based air ambulance subscription services

3 Co-sponsors

• Patrick M. Gallivan
• George D. Maziarz
• David J. Valesky

BILL NUMBER:S4052

Title of bill

An act to amend the insurance law, in relation to community based air ambulance subscription services; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof

Purpose

To provide community-based air ambulance services to offer subscription memberships to provide discounts or waivers of future air transport costs while providing a needed funding stream to philanthropic-based air ambulance providers.

Summary of provisions

Adds a new subsection (m) to article 1180 and adds a new section 1126 to the insurance law to create the community-based air ambulance subscription program.

Justification

New York's non-profit community-based air ambulance service providers provide critical emergency response and medical transport services that rely on philanthropic charitable donations to provide the financial means to operate. Embracing their community-based mission, not-for-profit air ambulance providers handle the community's on-scene emergency calls which include car accidents, skiing injuries, and industrial accidents. Not for profit air ambulance providers relieve the tax burden of this critical and costly community service.

It is important to note that when called, non-profit air ambulance service providers transport ALL patients, without any regard to or knowledge of a patient's ability to pay. Therefore, philanthropy provides the fundamental means of a non-profit air ambulance provider to fulfill its mission to the community. Philanthropy covers the transport costs for an individual that does not have any insurance or has reduced insurance reimbursements from public insurance programs (such as Medicare and Medicaid). This bill supports the philanthropy-based mission of non-profit air emergency medical transport providers who are at constant exposure of minimal or no payment.

The 60 minutes from accident to patient delivery to hospital care make air ambulance services, particularity in rural areas of our state, a critical part of our State's emergency response system. The rapid transport and quality of care received in the air has saved thousands of lives and improved recovery outcomes for thousands more. This legislation would provide an additional funding stream to support these essential services at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

This bill would also ensure an air ambulance subscription program that focuses solely on community needs. The community already benefits from less expensive non-profit air ambulance services because profit margins need not be built into their overall operating costs. By supporting non-profit community-based providers, the bill ensures member subscription dues are reinvested into the community's needs, not into dividends for profit-seeking shareholders.

Emergency and inter-facility air transportation is critical, yet the cost many times is not covered by one's insurance. This legislation is the proverbial "win-win": it provides a funding mechanism without cost to the taxpayer to support critical air ambulance services to the community while providing subscription members the ability to mitigate financial exposure from costs not covered by insurance. The subscription program created by this bill does not in any way guarantee air ambulance service, instead it mitigates financial exposure of the member after the fact should air ambulance service be used.

Legislative history

New bill.

Fiscal implications

None to the State or Local Governments.

Effective date

This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day, with provisions.