South Dakota Task Force Endorses Bills for Regional Ambulance System
South Dakota's Emergency Medical Services Funding Task Force voted to endorse two pieces of model legislation aimed at stabilizing the state's ambulance services, which struggle financially due to low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates and an aging, often volunteer workforce. One bill would create an advisory council to study dividing the state into 8 to 14 regional EMS districts, with recommendations on state aid due to the Legislature and Governor by June 2028. The second bill would require Medicare, Medicaid and private insurers to cover a broader range of "treatment-in-place" services at appropriate reimbursement rates, rather than paying only the lower basic life support rate when no transport occurs. The task force's findings go to the Legislature's Executive Board as lawmakers consider the bills in upcoming sessions.