HF 696

Introduction - 94th Legislature (2025 - 2026)

Posted on 02/13/2025 02:47 p.m.

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing a rural EMS uncompensated care pool payment
program; appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin RURAL EMS UNCOMPENSATED CARE POOL PAYMENT PROGRAM.
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new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Definitions. new text end

new text begin (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have
the meanings given.
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new text begin (b) "Director" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.001, subdivision
16.
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new text begin (c) "Eligible licensee" means a licensee that primarily provides ambulance services
outside the metropolitan counties listed in Minnesota Statutes, section 473.121, subdivision
4.
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new text begin (d) "Licensee" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.001,
subdivision 8.
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new text begin (e) "Public safety answering point" has the meaning given in Minnesota Statutes, section
403.02, subdivision 19.
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new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Payment program established. new text end

new text begin The director must establish and administer a
rural EMS uncompensated care pool payment program. Under the program, the director
must make payments to eligible licensees according to this section.
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new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Excluded responses. new text end

new text begin The director must exclude EMS responses by specialized
life support, as described in Minnesota Statutes, section 144E.101, subdivision 9, in
calculating payments under this section.
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new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Application process. new text end

new text begin (a) An eligible licensee seeking a payment under this
section must apply to the director by March 31, 2026, in the form and manner determined
by the director. In the application, the eligible licensee must specify the number of the
eligible licensee's EMS responses that meet the criteria in subdivision 5.
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new text begin (b) When an eligible licensee, an eligible licensee's parent company, a subsidiary of an
eligible licensee, or a subsidiary of an eligible licensee's parent company collectively hold
multiple licenses, the director must treat all such related licensees as a single eligible licensee.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 5. new text end

new text begin Eligible EMS responses. new text end

new text begin In order for an EMS response to be an eligible EMS
response for purposes of subdivision 6, the EMS response must meet the following criteria:
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new text begin (1) the EMS response was initiated by a request for emergency medical services initially
received by a public safety answering point;
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new text begin (2) an ambulance responded to the scene;
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new text begin (3) the ambulance was not canceled while en route to the scene;
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new text begin (4) the ambulance did not transport a person from the scene to a hospital emergency
department;
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new text begin (5) the eligible licensee did not receive any payment for the EMS response from any
source; and
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new text begin (6) the EMS response was initiated between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2025.
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new text begin Subd. 6. new text end

new text begin Calculations. new text end

new text begin (a) The director must calculate payments as provided in paragraphs
(b) and (c) for an eligible licensee that completes an application under subdivision 4.
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new text begin (b) The director must award points for eligible EMS responses as follows:
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new text begin (1) for eligible EMS responses one to 25, an eligible licensee is awarded ten points per
response;
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new text begin (2) for eligible EMS responses 26 to 50, an eligible licensee is awarded five points per
response;
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new text begin (3) for eligible EMS responses 51 to 100, an eligible licensee is awarded three points
per response;
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new text begin (4) for eligible EMS responses 101 to 200, an eligible licensee is awarded one point per
response; and
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new text begin (5) for eligible EMS responses exceeding 200, an eligible licensee is awarded zero points.
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new text begin (c) The director must total the number of all points awarded to all applying eligible
licensees under paragraph (b) and divide that number by the amount appropriated for purposes
of this section to determine a per-point amount. The payment for each eligible licensee shall
be calculated by multiplying the eligible licensee's number of awarded points by the
established per-point amount.
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new text begin Subd. 7. new text end

new text begin Payment. new text end

new text begin The director must certify the payment amount for each eligible
licensee and must make the full payment to each eligible licensee by May 30, 2026.
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Sec. 2. new text begin APPROPRIATION; RURAL EMS UNCOMPENSATED CARE POOL
PAYMENT PROGRAM.
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new text begin $3,000,000 in fiscal year 2026 is appropriated from the general fund to the Office of
Emergency Medical Services for the rural EMS uncompensated care pool payment program.
This is a onetime appropriation.
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