WCAX

Congressman Peter Welch, D-Vermont, says he's fighting to improve reimbursements for Vermont's ambulance providers.

Welch says ambulance services in rural areas like Vermont face financial uncertainty when it comes to getting money from Medicare. The congressman is backing legislation in Congress that hopes to improve the process. The bill establishes permanent funding for the ambulance activity and aims to weed out fraudulent charges.

"What that means to us is that budgeting wise, revenue wise, it just makes it more consistent from the feds down to the municipalities and the private services," said Deputy Chief Joe Aldsworth, Barre Fire Department.

Without the legislation Barre's deputy fire chief says his department could see an $8,000 to $10,000 cut to its budget. The bill is currently working its way through Congress.