'We've seen too many deaths occur': Rep. Terri Sewell introduces bill to protect access to rural ambulance services
Rep. Terri Sewell introduced the Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act following years of health care challenges in rural Central Alabama.
In 2022, the Pickens County Medical Center closed, leaving the county's nearly 20,000 residents without a hospital. Now, if they need medical care, residents have to travel upwards of 45 minutes to the closest hospitals in Tuscaloosa or Mississippi.
For much of that time, there's only been one ambulance for the entire county, the legal minimum. Though the Pickens County Ambulance Service has other ambulances, the issue is paying to staff and run them.
"Ambulance services are so expensive and so often those in the rural areas are the ones left hardest hit," Sewell said. "We've seen too many deaths occur because ambulances can't get to people in a timely fashion or they're not able to be airlifted to a nearby hospital."
Sewell is right. The lack of medical care has had fatal consequences in Pickens County.
"Just this past Christmas, a young man who was a single father to two little boys lost his life waiting on Tuscaloosa ambulance to get to him in Pickens County. It's simply unacceptable," she said. "All lives matter, and we want to make sure that those in rural America are getting the kind of access to ambulances that they deserve."
To make that happen, Sewell introduced the new bill that will extend the Medicare add-on costs that are set to expire in September. If passed, ambulance services in urban areas will continue to receive a 2% premium, and those in rural communities will continue getting 3% premiums, incentivizing ambulance services in rural communities.
"When medical emergencies happen, we should feel confident that our first responders have the resources they need to deliver lifesaving care," Sewell said. "Unfortunately, inadequate Medicare reimbursement rates are putting a strain on ambulance service providers in the most vulnerable communities. The problem is particularly severe for rural communities like the ones I represent. This bill would adjust Medicare reimbursement practices so that vital ambulance services are available and accessible to all Americans."
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Sewell said this issue is important to her because medical emergencies in rural areas are a scary experience her family knows all too well.
"My father was a nine-time stroke survivor," she said. "He passed away five years ago, but lived after a massive stroke. He was able to be airlifted from Selma to UAB Hospital. It saved his life, and he lived for 10 years after that massive stroke. I personally know and my family has experienced the pains of not being able to have adequate, reliable ambulance services. It's simply, in this great country we live in, no one should have a lack of access to quality health care, and especially when you need it in emergencies."