TO AMEND THE TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT MANAGER ACT; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.

This bill, HB 1863, amends the Transportation Benefit Manager Act to establish new payment rules for ambulance services in Arkansas. It mandates that healthcare insurers and transportation benefit managers pay ambulance providers 250% of the Medicare Ambulance Fee Schedule, Rural Rate for claims. Ambulance providers must accept this payment as full and are prohibited from "balance billing" patients for additional charges beyond their deductible, copayment, or coinsurance. The bill also requires the Arkansas Ambulance Association to annually collect and submit local government ambulance service rates to the Insurance Commissioner. An emergency clause makes the act effective immediately to address existing conflicts in ambulance service reimbursement rates.