EMS in Pennsylvania sees $6M increase in state budget, providers say more help needed
HARRISBURG, Pa. —
Pennsylvania is increasing state funding for emergency medical services providers with an additional $6 million in this year’s budget to help agencies purchase advanced equipment, but EMS leaders say the investment addresses only part of a broader financial crisis.
New funding supports EMS equipment and technology
The new funding is intended to help EMS agencies afford equipment needed to respond to medical emergencies. State officials highlighted the investment during an event Tuesday in the Lehigh Valley, where they showcased advanced emergency response technology.
“Those who work in EMS are really always on call. No day is routine. No schedule is predictable, and they exist in a world where urgency and pressure are really the norm,” said Anthony Martin, director of the Bureau of EMS at the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
The unfunded cost of staying ready
At Susquehanna Township EMS, Chief Don Kunst said maintaining ambulances, stocking medications and equipment, and ensuring crews are ready to respond account for a significant portion of the agency’s operating costs. He estimated that about half of the agency’s expenses are tied to maintaining that readiness.
“That readiness, as we call it, is not funded,” Kunst said. “We get funded when we transport patients. That’s the way the reimbursement from insurance agencies works.”
Staffing shortages and rising costs remain
Kunst said the additional state funding is welcome but does not fully address ongoing staffing shortages and rising operating costs facing EMS agencies across Pennsylvania.
“I think we have to come to the conclusion that we collectively, as EMS agencies, are going to have to find a different funding source,” he said.
Calls for better pay for EMS workers
State Rep. Justin Fleming, D-Susquehanna Township, said the new investment is an important first step but argued that more must be done to improve pay for EMS workers.
“Some of our EMS personnel are really running around the clock just to make a living in this,” Fleming said. “And we need to do better. We need to pay them more.”
EMS leaders seek long-term financial stability
According to state officials, the Shapiro administration has invested about $80 million in EMS services through a combination of new funding and policy changes. Those efforts include increased reimbursement rates for ambulance mileage during hospital transports and expanded support for EMS training costs.
Despite those investments, EMS leaders say long-term financial stability will require broader changes to the way emergency medical services are funded.