In The News

2025 EMSAC Advocacy Update #3
February 26, 2025

On February 18, dozens of EMS providers from across the state descended on Denver for 2025 EMS Day at the Capitol. EMSAC offers its gratitude to Rep. Dusty Johnson and Sen. Mark Baisley for their tributes to Colorado EMS. EMSAC members were recognized for their public service on the floor of the State House and Senate. The day also included meetings with individual legislators, a conversation with the Behavioral Health Administration, and the annual legislative reception. This year’s gathering was the largest in EMSAC history and left its mark on state legislators who will be keeping Colorado EMS at the front of their minds.

Also, this month, two EMSAC-supported bills had their first committee hearings. On February 11, the House Health and Human Services Committee heard HB25-1088 concerning costs for ground ambulance services. In January, we wrote in depth about this critical piece of legislation. In short, HB25-1088 will end balance billing and ensure that EMS agencies are reimbursed their entire rate for providing service from health insurance carriers. The bill enjoyed bipartisan support and passed 12-1 in committee.

Then, on February 20, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard the reauthorization of Community-Integrated Healthcare Service (CIHCS) agencies, which is the Colorado term for mobile integrated health and community paramedicine. The statute passed in 2016 is set to be repealed in September unless reauthorized by the legislature. EMSAC has proposed considerable amendments to the CIHCS statute to ensure that community paramedics can provide the highest level of care to their patients and communities. The committee voted unanimously to reauthorize CIHCS and advance the EMSAC amendments.

The amendment includes improving consumer protection and patient safety by requiring all CIHCS to have physician medical directors and removing the ability of a nurse practitioner to be an agency medical director. The state’s 11 CIHCS agencies and 56 community paramedics would then collaborate with their physician medical directors, who would delegate authority to the community paramedics and develop an individualized agency scope of practice. Non-community paramedic EMS providers would be allowed to work for a CIHCS agency operating under their Chapter 2 scope of practice under supervision from a community paramedic or registered nurse. The arbitrary license period will be extended from one year to three years, redundant background checks will be eliminated, high licensure fees will be reduced, and procedural due process safeguards will be implemented. EMSAC continues discussions with the CDPHE, the Colorado Home Health and Hospice Association, and the Colorado Nurses Association to ensure stakeholder support.

EMSAC is also seeking amendments to SB25-042 concerning Behavioral Health Crisis Response and SB25-130 concerning the Provision of Emergency Medical Services, a bill which, despite having emergency medical services in the name, has nothing to do with ambulances, paramedics, or EMS. We are supporting SB25-060 concerning Repeated Phone Calls Obstruction of Government Operations and HB25-1195 concerning First Responder Voter Registration Record Confidentiality.

We are also proud to announce Friends of Colorado EMS, a small donor committee that provides us an opportunity to support those who support EMS. The Advocacy Committee will use funds generated by the small donor committee to make campaign contributions to legislative candidates that support the work of EMS. Learn more and make a contribution by visiting: https://secure.anedot.com/friends-of-colorado-ems/donate.

EMSAC members with Rep. Dusty Johnson during 2025 EMS Day at the Capitol. Rep. Johnson was proud to sponsor a tribute to Colorado EMS on the House floor.

Return to the Legislative Resources page here.

2025 EMSAC Advocacy Update #4
March 14, 2025

Lodging Taxes, Voter Registration, Medicaid Rates, and Medicare Add-Ons

EMSAC is actively engaged at the State and national Capitol during the first two weeks of March, advocating for policies that support EMS professionals and public safety.

We were proud to support HB25-1195, the First Responder Voter Registration Record Confidentiality Act, sponsored by our friend Rep. Dusty Johnson. This bill, which passed in committee on March 6, ensures that EMS providers have access to confidential voter registration—just as law enforcement and firefighters do—so that no first responder is discouraged from voting due to privacy concerns. EMSAC was honored to testify in support of this important legislation.

Last week, HB25-1247, the County Lodging Tax Expansion Act, sponsored by Rep. Karen McCormick and Sen. Dylan Roberts, passed the House and is now headed to the Senate. This bill allows counties to ask voters to raise their lodging tax cap from 2% to 5%. It expands the list of eligible expenses to include public safety services such as law enforcement, fire protection, and emergency medical services. EMSAC fully supports this measure.

State Budget & Medicaid Reimbursement Cuts

We are closely monitoring the Joint Budget Committee (JBC) as it crafts the 2025-2026 state budget. With the JBC needing to cut $1.2 billion from the budget, there are significant concerns about potential impacts on EMS.

The latest JBC staff recommendation includes a decrease in the mileage reimbursement rate for non-ambulance, non-emergency medical transport, affecting wheelchair and secure behavioral health transports but not interfacility ambulance transports (IFTs).
Additionally, JBC staff propose a 1% across-the-board cut to all healthcare provider types, including emergency and non-emergency ambulance transport. EMSAC opposes any reduction in Medicaid funding for ambulance transport.
We urge the JBC to consider alternative cost-saving measures, such as reductions to pharmacy benefit managers (but not individual pharmacies) and hospital facility fees—while protecting ambulance services from funding cuts.

EMSAC calls on agency leaders across the state to contact the JBC and advocate against Medicaid reimbursement cuts for ambulance transport. The JBC's contact information is here: Joint Budget Committee.

Return to the Legislative Resources page here.