AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION.

Healthcare

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor: Human Services Committee
Last action: 2026-06-02
Official status: Signed by the Governor
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Changes How Medicaid Pays for Ambulance Mileage

This law changes how the state calculates out-of-district mileage payments to ambulance services under the Medicaid program.

What This Bill Does

Requires the Commissioner of Social Services to base out-of-district mileage on the actual distance traveled with a patient in the vehicle from pickup to destination, rounded to the nearest one-tenth of a mile.
Allows ambulance services to use any reasonable and verifiable method to document mileage, including GPS data or mapping programs.
Requires providers to keep trip reports and mileage records as part of the patient care record.

Who It Names or Affects

Ambulance service providers
The Commissioner of Social Services

Terms To Know

Medicaid: A state and federal program that helps pay for medical care.
Out-of-district mileage: The distance an ambulance travels outside its normal service area to transport a patient, now calculated from pickup to destination with the patient on board.

Limits and Unknowns

This change only applies to trips that happen on or after July 1, 2026.
Ambulance services must use methods they can prove are reasonable and verifiable.

Bill History

2026-06-02 Connecticut General Assembly
Signed by the Governor
2026-05-22 Connecticut General Assembly
Transmitted to the Secretary of State
2026-05-22 Connecticut General Assembly
Transmitted by Secretary of the State to Governor
2026-05-19 LCO
Public Act 26-88
2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly
House Passed
2026-05-05 Connecticut General Assembly
In Concurrence
2026-04-09 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, House
2026-04-09 Connecticut General Assembly
House Calendar Number 385
2026-04-08 Connecticut General Assembly
Senate Passed
2026-04-01 LCO
Reported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-04-01 Connecticut General Assembly
Favorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
2026-04-01 Connecticut General Assembly
Senate Calendar Number 221
2026-04-01 LCO
File Number 311
2026-03-26 LCO
Referred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 03/31/26 5:00 PM
2026-03-20 LCO
Filed with Legislative Commissioners' Office
2026-03-19 HS
Joint Favorable
2026-03-06 Connecticut General Assembly
Public Hearing 03/10
2026-03-05 Connecticut General Assembly
Referred to Joint Committee on Human Services

Official Summary Text

To increase Medicaid reimbursement for ambulance services by amending the out-of-district mileage calculation for such services.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Senate Bill No. 429

Public Act No. 26-88

AN ACT CONCERNING MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT FOR
EMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 17b-273 of the general statutes is repealed and the
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 2026):
(a) On and after April 1, 1983, the Commissioner of Social Services
shall increase the payment rate for ambulance rides eligible under the
state medical assistance program. Subject to federal approval, beginning
with the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2015, the Commissioner of Social
Services shall, within available appropriations, revise the payment
methodology for ambulance services under the Medicaid program to
apply a relative value unit system similar to the payment methodology
used in the Medicare pro gram. The basic life support nonemergency
transport shall be designated as the base rate with the relative value unit
system applied to basic life support nonemergency transports, basic life
support emergency transports, advanced life support nonemergency
transports, advanced life support emergency transports and paramedic
intercept services. For purposes of this section, "relative value unit"
means a numeric value for ambulance services relative to the value of a
base level ambulance service.
Senate Bill No. 429

Public Act No. 26-88 2 of 2

(b) On and after July 1, 2026, the Commissioner of Social Services
shall base the out-of-district mileage calculation for ambulance services
reimbursed under the state medical assistance program on the distance
traveled by an ambulance with the patient onb oard from the point of
patient pickup to the destination, rounded to the nearest one -tenth of a
mile. An ambulance service may use any reasonable and verifiable
method to document such mileage, including, but not limited to, global
positioning system data, navigation or dispatch computer systems or
commercially available mapping routing programs. The commissioner
shall require an ambulance service provider to maintain documentation
of such mileage as part of the patient care record, including, but not
limited to, a trip report with the name of the patient and street address
of the patient pickup point and destination.