CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Help could soon be on the way for patients facing expensive surprise bills after medical emergencies.
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A bill advancing at the Georgia State Capitol would require insurance companies to cover certain out-of-network ambulance rides, potentially protecting patients from large, unexpected charges.
The proposal comes after years of complaints from patients who say they were hit with costly ambulance bills even when they had insurance.
Channel 2 Consumer Investigator Justin Gray first reported on the issue more than two years ago.
Currently, if an ambulance transports someone to an emergency room, patients often have no way of knowing whether the ambulance provider is in-network with their insurance company.
“You can’t ask 911 if they take your insurance,” one patient said.
For many Georgians, that uncertainty can lead to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.
In a 2024 Channel 2 Action News investigation, Jennifer Page shared her experience after receiving a large ambulance bill following a medical emergency.
“Am I supposed to ask 911 if they’re covered under my insurance company?” Page said. “Because I couldn’t breathe.”
Page told Channel 2 Action News that the experience left her hesitant about calling for help in the future.
“That could put your life at risk,” Gray told her during the interview.
“It could,” Page responded. “I know it could, but what else am I supposed to do?”
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Consumer advocates say Page’s situation is not unique.
Patients who need emergency transport typically have no control over which ambulance service responds, yet they may still receive bills if the provider is outside their insurance network.
Ambulance rides have historically been excluded from federal and state laws banning surprise medical billing for out-of-network services.
Now lawmakers in Georgia are working to change that.
Similar bills have passed both the Georgia House and Senate with overwhelming support.
According to the legislation, the goal is “to provide for insurance coverage for certain out-of-network ambulance transportation services.”
Liz Coyle, executive director of the consumer advocacy group Georgia Watch, says the proposed changes would provide important protections for patients.
“We’re really relieved,” Coyle said. “The legislation just makes it very clear, if you need lifesaving care, the ambulance ride should be part of what’s included in being in network.”
Coyle says the bills would help prevent the kind of large ambulance bills that many patients have faced.
“When you want your life saved, you’re not thinking about whether the ambulance is in network,” she said. “That just doesn’t make any sense.”
While the House and Senate versions of the bill are largely similar, there are minor differences in how insurers would calculate minimum reimbursement rates for ambulance providers.
Both measures have now crossed over to the opposite chamber, meaning the proposal is well on its way to potentially becoming law.
Lawmakers will still need to reconcile the differences between the two versions before sending a final bill to the governor’s desk.
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