Balint Hears Rural EMS Concerns Over Medicaid Cuts, Reimbursement
U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., visited Milton Rescue to discuss challenges facing rural emergency medicine providers in Vermont. EMTs and paramedics told Balint they increasingly serve as de facto primary care and social service providers, responding to mental health crises, food insecurity, and housing problems alongside medical emergencies. Providers said tightening Medicaid eligibility and shrinking marketplace insurance subsidies are pushing more Vermonters to rely on 911 rather than preventive care, while hospital bed and staffing shortages back up emergency departments statewide. Balint is pushing legislation with Sen. Peter Welch to shift reimbursement models so EMS providers are paid for treating patients on-site rather than only for hospital transport.