March 30, 2021
The Honorable Xavier Becerra
Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
Dear Secretary Becerra:
As organizations focused on patient access to emergency medical care, particularly in rural America, we would like to welcome you as the 25th Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). We look forward to a fruitful collaboration to ensure Americans’ access to health care is preserved.
Air ambulances provide swift transport to the nearest and most appropriate medical facility for patients suffering from a major cardiac event, stroke or trauma such as brain injury as well for more than 20,000 COVID-19 patients suffering respiratory distress or in need of inter-facility transport. These services are especially important in rural America, where hospital closures have significantly reduced access to emergency medical care for millions. Fortunately, the air medical industry has filled the gap left by rural hospital closures by transporting patients in a fraction of the time it would take a ground ambulance, improving patient outcomes and saving lives.
As you know, the Air Ambulance and Patient Billing Advisory Committee (AAPB Advisory Committee) formed in 2018 by the then-secretaries of Transportation and Health and Human Services, brought together stakeholders including providers, insurers, patient and consumer advocates, and the air ambulance industry to review options to improve the disclosure of charges and fees for air medical services, better inform consumers of insurance options for such services, and protect consumers from balance billing. This committee has done good work to form sound recommendations that benefit both patients and providers, and we hope HHS, along with the Department of Transportation and Congress, will take these recommendations into consideration when forming future legislation and regulations.
As you look to the important work you will undertake at HHS, our organizations stand ready to work with you to ensure patients have continued access to emergency, life-saving air medical services.
Sincerely,
American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) Consumer Action
Association of Air Medical Resources (AAMS) Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA)
National Consumers League (NCL) Save Our Air Medical Resources (SOAR)
International Association of Flight and Critical Care Paramedics (IAFCCP)
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