MOUNT PENN, Pa. – Earlier Tuesday, Lower Alsace Ambulance Director Philip Salamone said ambulance crews had just learned the federal government was lifting its shutdown hold on Medicare payments.
That same evening, Salamone spoke at the Mount Penn Borough Council meeting, where local leaders said the issue points to a much deeper problem facing emergency medical services.
“I’m very happy with what Mount Penn is hoping to do,” Salamone said. “Mount Penn hoping to get local, state and federal legislators involved is very, very helpful. We’ve been in a struggling situation — and when I saw ‘we,’ I mean the industry itself — for the better part of the last 30 years.”
Salamone said paramedics today handle far more than basic patient transport, but reimbursements haven’t kept pace with the cost of care.
Ambulance companies can now reapply for funding, though payments could still be delayed by up to two weeks.
“There are medications that I administer that cost more than what I’m going to get paid by the ambulance,” he said. “There are situations that are not that far-fetched that it is more cost-effective for me to hand you $200 and tell you to find your own ride to the hospital, than it is for me to actually treat you and take you there.”
Mount Penn Borough Council President Rick Lombardo said he supports forming a committee with state lawmakers, including state Sen. Judy Schwank (D-11), to push for long-term EMS reform.
“This is not a Mount Penn issue. This is not a Berks County issue. This is a federal issue,” Salamone said.
Local officials say the reversal of the Medicare payment freeze was good news, but they call it a wake-up call to fix a system they say has been under strain for decades.