Advocacy
The American Ambulance Association continues to press the Congress and federal agencies to secure the resources and financial support needed for ambulance service organizations, paramedics, and EMTs to effectively serve and protect their communities. The AAA invites you to become involved with our efforts on Capitol Hill.
Help support the AAA’s efforts by contacting your members of Congress today!
2025 Priorities
Medicare Ambulance Relief
EMS Workforce Shortage
Balance Billing
The AAA successfully pushed for the inclusion of Medicare extenders in the Continuing Resolution (CR) signed by President Trump on March 15th, 2025. This CR includes Ambulance Medicare Add-On Payments at their current rates (2% urban, 3% rural, and 22.6% super rural), which will expire on September 30th, 2025. As of March 18th, the Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act (H.R. 2232) has been reintroduced. This legislation would extend the temporary Medicare ambulance add-on payments at their current levels until January 1, 2028. It is essential that we urge members of Congress to act now so ambulance providers can continue to deliver vital services to their communities.
The ongoing EMS workforce shortage crisis is a top priority of the AAA. As of March 18, 2025, the Preserve Access to Rapid Ambulance Emergency Medical Treatment Act (PARA-EMT Act). H.R. 2220 has been reintroduced. This bill proposes $50 million in funding for a grant training program aimed at recruiting and training paramedics and EMTs, easing the transition for veteran medics into civilian EMS roles, and requests that the Secretary of Labor conduct a study on the EMS workforce shortage. Passing this bill is crucial to tackling the EMS staffing crisis and creating lasting, meaningful change for ambulance services nationwide.
The AAA successfully educated the Congress on the negative effects that balance billing has on both the patient and the ambulance service provider. As a result, the Congress directed the establishment of a Ground Ambulance and Balance Billing Advisory Committee to address the issue. The committee has concluded their work and submitted their report and recommendations on ground ambulance balance billing to the US Congress. The AAA will continue to work with key committee members to advocate that Congress implement policies that meet the needs of our members.
535 Plan
American Ambulance Association President, Jamie Pafford-Gresham, places great value on fostering meaningful relationships with lawmakers and their staff. She is committed to ensuring AAA establishes a presence in every Congressional office, with the goal of AAA members meeting with all 535 offices during the 119th Congress. AAA seeks to educate policymakers on the challenges and opportunities facing EMS and mobile healthcare, ensuring that our issues remain top-of-mind as legislation progresses. By building these relationships and maintaining open lines of communication, we believe we can drive impactful policy changes that will support the growth, sustainability, and effectiveness of mobile healthcare.
AAA members can now self-report their Congressional meetings to help us make progress toward this goal!
Advocacy Resources
The AAA has created leave-behinds on key topics like Medicare Ambulance Relief, EMS Workforce Shortage, Balance Billing, and State-Level Issues to help educate lawmakers on the challenges our members face. Download these documents to support and strengthen your advocacy efforts!
State-Level Leave-Behinds