S. 2518 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jul 29, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryUpdates Medicare payment for air ambulances
Air ambulances are helicopters and planes that transport very ill or injured patients to hospitals. Right now, Medicare pays a set amount for these services, but the payment rates haven't been updated in a while. This bill lets Medicare officials adjust how much they pay for air ambulances based on real cost and usage data that providers and insurance companies report. It also requires air ambulance providers to share more detailed information about their Medicare costs and usage, and asks a government watchdog agency to review all the data and suggest whether payment rates should change.
How it affects you
If you need emergency air ambulance transport and have Medicare, this could affect how much you pay out-of-pocket, depending on how Medicare payment rates are adjusted. Air ambulance companies will face new reporting requirements. Most people without Medicare won't directly feel the effects, though changes to Medicare payments could eventually influence what private insurers charge.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jul 29, 2025)
Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2025
This bill authorizes payment changes under Medicare for air ambulance services based on certain collected data and requires additional reporting from providers of these services.
Current law requires providers of air ambulance services to report certain information regarding general costs and utilization to the Department of Health and Human Services; private health insurers are also required to report information relating to coverage of these services. The bill authorizes the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise payment rates under Medicare for air ambulance services based on this data, and it requires providers of air ambulance services to specifically report information relating to costs and utilization under Medicare.
The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the data that is collected under current law requirements and to recommend changes to Medicare payment rates accordingly.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionS. 2518
A BILL
Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act of 2025
Sponsor: Sen. Michael F. Bennet (D-CO) · Introduced Jul 29, 2025 · Health · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jul 29, 2025: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.”