Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GIANFORTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3935, the Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act, introduced by Representatives Carter and Cardenas, and Representatives Graves and Bishop of Georgia.

This legislation would require Medicaid to cover nonemergency medical transportation, or NEMT. This can help rural Medicaid patients get to dialysis, preventive care, and substance abuse treatment.

Covering this transport can ensure these patients get the care they need, improving outcomes and reducing the need for expensive emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

In my home State of Montana, it can take 2 hours or more to get to a specialist. This important legislation will help ensure rural patients have the ability to get to their providers.

H.R. 3935 would also require States to ensure that NEMT providers are not on the excluded providers list; that each individual driver has a valid driver's license; and that providers report and address violations of State law, including traffic violations.

It would require the Comptroller General to conduct a study on coverages of NEMT by State Medicaid programs, including the policies and program integrity measures in place to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.

Finally, the bill would require the Secretary to analyze any NEMT data and report to Congress on his or her findings within one year of the date of enactment.

The legislation also requires State Medicaid programs to develop a utilization management process for the benefit.

Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of this important legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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