Medicare payment halt puts Arkansas emergency services at risk

ARKANSAS, USA — Arkansas ambulance services are sounding the alarm as a federal funding freeze threatens to destabilize emergency medical responses statewide — especially in rural communities that rely heavily on Medicare payments to operate.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has stopped processing all ambulance claims during the ongoing federal government shutdown. For many EMS providers, Medicare is their largest payer, accounting for more than half of their operating revenue.

"With us having about 50% of our money coming through the Medicare payment system, then we are faced with over half of our money being cut right now," said Robby Hines, president and CEO of Southwest EMS, which services Crawford County.

Without the funds, EMS agencies could struggle to pay sta