Washington state will see new protections for consumers from surprise billing for ground ambulance services. 

SB 5986 passed the House and Senate with nearly universal support. Under the bill, consumers will now be protected from surprising billing when they use ground ambulance services in Washington state. Most of the impacts of the bill fall onto insurance providers and private ground ambulance providers; however, cities that have established or contracted rates for ground ambulance services provided within their jurisdiction must submit those rates to the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC). Cities are also responsible for providing updated rates to the OIC into the future. The OIC will use submitted rates to create a publicly accessible database used by insurance providers to pay for services.

SB 5986 now awaits signature by the Governor.

Does your city operate ground ambulance services? Read this bill

February 2, 2024

Since 2022, Washington state has worked to protect consumers from surprise billing from ground ambulance services. Now a bill with proposed protections is making its way through the Senate.

SB 5986, sponsored by Sens. Annette Cleveland (D–Vancouver) and Ron Muzzall (R–Oak Harbor), is the culmination of work that began in 2022 when the legislature passed HB 1688 directing the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) to submit a report to the legislature on applying balance billing regulations to ground ambulances. In early 2023, OIC convened an advisory group made up of public and private ground ambulance providers, insurance providers, and patient advocacy groups. In October 2023, the group published their findings.

While the impact of SB 5986 mostly falls onto insurance providers and private ambulance providers, local governments who operate ground ambulance services will need to take steps to ensure they are properly compensated for their services. As a part of the bill, cities will be required to submit their rate for ground ambulance services to OIC. Additionally, cities will need to provide updates to OIC if their ground ambulance rates change. Insurance providers will rely on the rates collected by OIC to pay for services.

SB 5986 is currently in the Senate Ways and Means Committee awaiting a vote.