Brief Description: Conducting an evaluation of the feasibility of subscription air ambulance service.

Sponsors: Senate Committee on Financial Institutions, Housing & Consumer Protection (originally sponsored by Senator Spanel).

Senate Committee on Financial Institutions, Housing & Consumer Protection
House Committee on Financial Institutions & Insurance

Background: The insurance code protects consumers and ensures financial solvency by requiring insurers and service providers to register annually with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC). As part of this registration process, providers must inform the Insurance Commissioner of insurance rates and loss ratios. The code also requires providers to have reserves on hand from which claims can be paid.

In recent years, concerns have been raised that medical emergency airlift services have become unaffordable for the state's island citizens. It has been suggested that organizations may be more likely to offer subscription air ambulance services if they were not held to all of the guidelines of the insurance code.

Summary: The OIC is to fund and perform a feasibility evaluation on the availability of subscription air ambulance service. The evaluation is to be geared toward allowing a person or an entity to provide subscription air ambulance service. A report on the OIC's evaluation findings and recommendations is due to the legislature by December 31, 2005.

Votes on Final Passage:

Senate      48   0
House      94   0

Effective: July 24, 2005