Press Releases

Yesterday, Congressman Ron Estes (R-Kansas) published an op-ed in The Washington Times discussing air ambulances and the lifesaving impacts it makes on rural health care. 

You may scroll below to see excerpts from the op-ed. You may click HERE or on the image above to read the full op-ed. 

“Living in rural America comes with great benefits – a simpler way of life in picturesque countrysides where neighbors can be miles away physically but deeply close personally.

“It also means more miles between conveniences.”

“Growing up on my family farm in rural Kansas where my mom still lives today, we were just a few miles outside our town of 2,500, but we were 40 miles from the big city of Topeka, which back then had a population just shy of 80,000.”

“Air ambulances have been providing lifesaving services for decades. I’ve visited with the pilots and EMTs; they are dedicated professionals who fly into sometimes dangerous situations to give emergency treatment and transport our friends and neighbors to doctors and nurses tens or hundreds of miles away.”

“And it’s not just for folks living in rural parts of the country, but those traveling through those regions as well. One pilot shared with me a story involving a bad accident in rural Kansas. It was dark, and the air ambulance had to land near power lines. The pilot and flight medics took a risk to save the life of someone badly injured driving through our state, and those selfless men and women are ready to do it again today.”

“Ensuring that this critical service is available to all Americans is why I reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation the Protecting Air Ambulance Services for Americans Act.”

“While the medical tools and aircraft have all advanced over the years, the Medicare reimbursement rate has not changed since the fee schedule was established in 2002, leaving some air ambulances running in the red. And with nearly 40% of all air medical transports being Medicare patients, it’s easy to see why the reimbursement must reflect today’s realities. Sadly, this and other factors have forced closures across the country.”

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