Michigan legislators fail to fix budget error that has resulted in payment shortage

After the Fiscal Year 2024 budget was approved Wednesday by the Michigan Legislature, the Michigan Association of Ambulance Services Executive Director Angela Madden issued the following statement:

“It is unacceptable that EMS Heroes relied upon every day to keep our communities safe are once again cast aside in the budget process. We were hopeful two years ago when we were promised the first reimbursement increase in over 20 years, but it was never implemented properly. It is not acceptable to expect EMS agencies to work without being fairly paid, and that is what is happening now without our boilerplate in this budget.

“EMS is life or death work that must continue. Michigan’s hardworking paramedics and EMTs deserve to be properly paid for their work. It is beyond frustrating to see pet projects funded when EMS is being left in the dust. We are trying to get more people into our essential industry, but this failure definitely sets EMS further behind.

“We urge legislators and Gov. Whitmer to find a way to right this wrong and support us in continuing our lifesaving services across this state.”