Ambulance Reimbursement: An Important Message from County Executive Ike Leggett to County Resident's

Dear County Resident:

I want to inform you of an important issue facing the County that could have an adverse impact on every County resident.

 

Many of you are aware that the November ballot will contain County Question A. The Question gives voters the opportunity to decide whether County Council Bill 13-10: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Transport Fee, which passed in May, should remain law.

 

Under the law, the County would be allowed to recover ambulance transport costs from premiums already paid to insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid -- $14 million this year and $170 million over the next 10 years. All revenues would be dedicated, by law, to strengthen our Fire and Rescue Service. No County resident will ever get a bill for ambulance transport, co-pays or deductibles -- whether they have insurance or not.

The Montgomery Fire and Rescue Service will continue to serve anybody in need, regardless of ability to pay – whether rich or poor or in-between, whether County resident or not. Just like now. Nothing will change – except that our Fire and Rescue Service will have more resources in meet critical future needs for staffing, equipment, and to improve EMS response times.

Nearly every jurisdiction in the Washington region collects millions of dollars in ambulance reimbursements from insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid – with no adverse effects. (Click here to see the Washington Post story on Thursday, “Area Fire Chiefs Back Ambulance Fee: 911 Calls Unaffected”)

 

Our neighbors are using those resources to save lives – and Montgomery County should do the same. We cannot afford to leave this money on the table.

 
The League of Women Voters of Montgomery County agrees. So too does the Montgomery County Fire Fighters and Paramedics, Local 1664. Click here to see editorials in The Washington Post and in The Gazette newspapers supporting County ambulance reimbursement.

There are basically three choices:

1.  Approve ambulance reimbursement from insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid to bring in $14 million this year and $170 million over the next ten years;

2.  Reduce critical County services, including public safety; or

3.  Increase taxes.

I choose the first option. It just makes sense.

As I travel around the County, I meet many residents who have asked for facts and accurate information on the EMS Transport Fee. For more information, you can go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/emstransportfee.

Whatever your perspective, please vote in the upcoming general elections as they are critical to our ability to maintain Montgomery County as the special place it is today to live, work, play, and age with dignity. In addition to voting in person on Tuesday, November 2 from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at your polling location, you may vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballot request forms can be downloaded here and must be returned by October 26, 2010.

This year, for the first time, you may cast your vote at any one of the Early Voting Centers inthe County between Friday, October 22 and Thursday, October 28 from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. (except Sunday, October 24). I urge you to consider joining the thousands of County voters who will be taking advantage of this highly efficient means of carrying out our civic duty.

Sincerely,

Ike Leggett
County Executive

MEDIA ADVISORY: Regional FIRE CHIEFS to Discuss Benefits of EMS Fee in Their Jurisdictions

REGIONAL FIRE CHIEFS TO DISCUSS BENEFITS OF

EMS FEE IN THEIR JURISDICTIONS

Thursday, October 21, 2010

12:30 p.m.

Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

1st Floor Training Room

777 North Capitol Street, NE

Washington, DC

Montgomery County Fire Chief Richard Bowers will be joined by Prince George’s County Fire Chief Eugene A. Jones, Fairfax County Fire Chief Ronald Mastin, Frederick County Fire Chief Thomas Owens; District of Columbia Chief of the Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department Dennis L. Rubin; Arlington County Fire Chief James Schwartz and other regional Fire Chiefs to discuss the success of their Emergency Medical Services (EMS) revenue recovery programs. Montgomery County voters will decide on November 2 whether to approve County Question A, which will allow County Council Bill 13-10: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Transport Fee to become law.

The chiefs will discuss how long their EMS revenue recovery programs have been in existence, how they have worked over the years and why the programs make sense, particularly in these times of budgetary challenges.

The EMS fee is a critical issue for Montgomery County and particularly for the Fire & Rescue Service (FRS). Without the transport revenue, Montgomery County will have to cut an additional $14 million from the current year’s operating budget. On October 5, County Executive Isiah Leggett sent proposed cuts to the County Council that would reduce FRS’s operating budget by $6 million and could mean a loss of 89 career firefighter paramedic positions.

Under the EMS Fee, FRS will continue to serve anybody in need, regardless of ability to pay. The County would be allowed to recover ambulance transport costs from premiums already paid to insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid that amounts to $14 million this year and $170 million over the next 10 years. All revenues would be dedicated, by law, to strengthen the Fire & Rescue Service. Under the law, no County resident will ever get a bill for ambulance transport, co-pays or deductibles -- whether they have insurance or not.

# # #

EMS Transport Fee Referendum and FY2011 Budget Adjustments

OFFICES OF THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Isiah Leggett
County Executive

M E M O R A N D U M

August 5, 2010

TO: Nancy Floreen, Council President
FROM: Isiah Leggett, County Executive
SUBJECT: EMS Transport Fee Referendum and FY2011 Budget Adjustments

As you are aware, if the ballot initiative related to Bill 13-10, Emergency Medical Services Transport Fee – Established, is successfully petitioned and certified, it stays the implementation of Bill 13-10, and therefore leads to an immediate shortfall in the current year budget of approximately $14 million. The purpose of this memorandum is to notify the Council of how I plan to proceed if Bill 13-10 is successfully petitioned to referendum.

The Emergency Medical Services reimbursement will fund critically needed services and would bring in $14 million a year – and $200 million over ten years -- in revenue from monies already set aside by private insurance companies, Medicare, and Medicaid. County residents with health insurance will pay nothing – no co-pays, no deductibles, nothing. The charge will be billed directly to Medicare, Medicaid, and health insurance companies. County residents without insurance pay nothing. And whatever standard rates companies pay for the service will be accepted as payment in full. It would be most unfortunate if we cannot access these funds to improve services and save lives.

It is critical that we move quickly to identify immediately the necessary budget adjustments to deal with the potential new gap because of continued uncertainty about the economy and our revenue collections, and the need to ensure that we maintain adequate reserves. I have asked the Office of Management and Budget to begin preparing for my consideration, $14 million in tax-supported reductions.

Making these cuts will be tremendously difficult based on the reductions we have already taken. Balancing the FY2011 budget was extraordinarily challenging and our community is already bearing the impact of those difficult decisions. Because of the limited options available, these additional cuts will impact all of the County Government and will certainly hit public safety, including our fire and rescue services.

To place the cuts in perspective, the furloughing of county employees, which is proving challenging to our delivery of services, saved approximately $10 million, far short of what will be needed to cover the loss of revenue from the fee.

If the referendum is certified, I will share my planned reductions with the Council and I will ask that you act on them as soon as possible. The longer we wait in the fiscal year to identify reductions to offset a loss of reimbursement revenues for EMS transport services, the more difficult it will be to achieve the necessary savings.

IL:rsd

For pdf actual version of Memo, please click HERE

Anne Arundel County Approves EMS Transport Reimbursement With Support of Anne Arundel Volunteer Firefighters

Anne Arundel County Approves EMS Transport Reimbursement With Support of Anne Arundel Volunteer Firefighters - Earlier this week, the Anne Arundel County Council approved an EMS (emergency medical services) transport reimbursement fee with the support of their volunteer emergency medical technicians and firefighters. This brings Anne Arundel into line with other jurisdictions in the Baltimore and Washington metropolitan region that already have EMS fees or reimbursement programs. For more information go to:

http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/News/press/PR_details.asp?PrID=5398