Committee recommends HB 417 to let stable patients transport between facilities

The committee heard HB 417, a bill intended to reduce patient bills by allowing medically stable patients to transport themselves between medical facilities rather than requiring ambulance transfer or discharge procedures that could trigger reexamination fees or loss of a reserved bed.

The House sponsor explained the bill grew from constituent experience with an unexpected ambulance bill after transfer from a mental-health receiving center to a hospital. The bill would let a medical team, at its discretion, permit a stable patient to self-transport within a specified timeframe while preserving their reserved bed; it would also provide limited immunity for the originating facility’s team.

Committee members expressed support. Senator Plumb said the bill was “very appropriate and… very wise,” and the committee unanimously favorably recommended HB 417 to the Senate.

What’s next: HB 417 will proceed to the full Senate. The committee vote was recorded by voice and the transcript does not show a roll-call tally.