WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts from Kansas has joined New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer to introduce a bill that will increase what Medicare pays for rural and urban ambulance services. Medicare reimbursements don’t pay the full costs of ambulance services provided to Medicare patients, he said. Rural hospitals such as Ransom Memorial Hospital and ambulance services such as Franklin EMS are particularly dependent on Medicare payments. Franklin County EMS director Nick Robbins said he was pleased with the effort. Robbins said he writes off nearly $10,000 each month that Medicare won’t pay for. He said Medicaid reimbursements are even worse.
