LOWER ALSACE TOWNSHIP, Pa. – We’re learning new details about how the federal government shutdown is impacting local emergency services.
For days, ambulance crews say Medicare reimbursements were on hold, leaving them uncertain about when they’d see payments for calls made after October 1. But that changed as we were reporting the story.
“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provided us notification that they were going to be holding all claims payments starting October 1,” said Philip Salamone, Director of Operations for Lower Alsace Ambulance.
In the middle of our interview with Salamone, he received word that the federal government had just lifted the hold. Ambulance companies can now reapply for funding, though payments could still be delayed by up to two weeks.
“Politics aside, I don’t care whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican,” Salamone said. “The issue is emergency medical services has been in dire crisis for the better part of the last decade. And playing a gamble with our reimbursement on a budget that is already stretched thin isn’t going to help anybody.”
Local leaders believe the reversal came after pushback from EMS providers nationwide.
“Fortunately, they’re not in a position where this is going to threaten that in the short term,” said Hunter Ahrens, Mt. Penn Borough manager. “But these types of unexpected events just complicate the business of keeping people safe.”
Officials plan to discuss how to prevent similar disruptions at a borough meeting later tonight.