The Kentucky House Majority Caucus has shared information on three bills filed by a pair of Republican representatives – one dealing with incentivizing careers in emergency medical services, one aiming to promote more transparency when it comes to billing for health care services, and the other seeking to establish a Kentucky Emergency Volunteer Corps.
State Representative Mark Hart of Falmouth has introduced HB 106 to provide incentives to individuals interested in pursuing an EMS career path. Hart is a retired firefighter and paramedic who understands the financial challenges facing current EMS workers.
“Emergency medical services professionals are often the first on the scene in a crisis, and yet too many face financial barriers that discourage people from entering or staying in this field,” Hart said. “This measure is about recognizing the value of EMS work, supporting those who answer the call, and creating real incentives for the next generation to pursue this critical career path.”
According to the Kentucky Board of Emergency Medical Services, the average salary for an emergency medical technician in Kentucky is just under $38,000 per year as of the start of September. The board believes that the low pay contributes to well-documented turnover issues throughout the state.
“When we talk about encouraging people to enter EMS careers, especially through fair wages and proper reimbursement, we have to start by acknowledging the true role they play,” Hart said. “Our EMTs and paramedics are healthcare professionals. They’re providing critical care and making life-saving decisions every day. They are not simply transporting patients from point A to point B.”
In other recent news from the House, medical bills would be easier to understand and more transparent under legislation filed by Representative John Hodgson of Fisherville. Specifically, House Bill 59 would establish new informational and readability requirements for medical bills and make the practice of balance billing completely illegal in Kentucky. Balance billing occurs when a provider charges a patient over and above the amount the insurance contracted rate with the provider allows.
“Medical bills are complicated enough without providers withholding essential information from the patients they are billing,” said Hodgson. “It is easy for patients to get confused and intimidated by aggressive billers and end up paying more than they are required to pay under insurance contracts. This has to stop.”
Under this legislation, health care providers would be required to provide patients with an itemized statement of charges that is easy to read and understand, either upon request or when payment is requested. HB 59 would also fully ban balance billing in the Commonwealth, going beyond the federal No Surprises Act, which prohibits the practice only in certain situations. Particularly, this measure would prohibit health care providers from billing for or receiving a total payment for health care services that exceeds the contracted amount or amount entitled to them under state or federal law.
In addition, this measure would further safeguard Kentuckians by establishing a framework to hold offending providers accountable for improper billing under the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act (KCPA), which protects Kentuckians from unfair or misleading business practices. Importantly, providers who violate this medical billing legislation due to a good-faith error would have 30 days to correct the mistake and avoid penalties. If the violation is not corrected, remedies and penalties available under the KCPA could be applied, with enforcement by the attorney general. Additionally, individuals harmed by the violation would be allowed to sue the violator.
“This bill allows patients to file suit and recover damages, attorney fees, and civil fines from a biller who violates this law,” Hodgson added. “Hopefully, just the probability of losing such a lawsuit will encourage providers to clean up any sketchy billing practices, and we can all save a lot of time and aggravation on the road to better health.”
If passed, this legislation would take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
Finally, Rep. Hodgson has also filed HB 61, which would establish the Kentucky Emergency Volunteer Corps (KEV), an all-volunteer, un-armed adjunct to the Kentucky National Guard that reports to the local Emergency Management Coordinators in emergency situations such as floods, tornados, storms, and earthquakes.
“The rash of severe weather disasters in recent years has strained disaster response resources and budgets in KY,” Hodgson said. “KEV Corps could supply volunteer help trained to FEMA standards, and ready to deploy on short notice in emergencies.”
The KEV Corps will be able to assist and provide additional help in the event of local emergency situations. This program will serve as a volunteer opportunity for thousands, including retired military, Bluegrass Challenge graduates, and Scout program graduates. The KEV Corps members will be trained in unit discipline, FEMA standards, and other basic emergency qualifications. Each local government will decide if they want to participate, and units and volunteers will only be deployed outside the county with consent. The KEV Corps will be funded via donations and grants, as well as state appropriations and federal funds.
“Many Kentuckians are interested in helping their communities in a crisis, and KEV Corps provides a standardized way to organize, train and deploy volunteers,” Hodgson said. “Young volunteers also benefit from the unit comradery and discipline, plus technical and physical training that may help them get ready for a higher commitment role in the Guard or US Military in the future.”
In recent days, HB 106 has advanced to the House Committee on Local Government, while HB 59 has made its way to the Committee on Banking and Insurance and HB 61 is being reviewed by the Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection. To learn more about these bills, as well as all others filed throughout the session in both the House and the Senate, visit www.legislature.ky.gov.
