Ohio police departments push for law to reduce ER bills

Police officials in Columbus and other Ohio municipalities are pushing for legislation that would require emergency physicians to bill city police departments the same rate as county sheriffs' departments when a person in custody is treated (Source: “Sheriff's ER bill less than police's,” Columbus Dispatch, Dec. 29, 2008).

Current state law mandates that county sheriffs’ offices pay doctors a negotiated rate that is roughly half as much as what is billed to city police departments.

The City of Columbus pushed for legislation last year that would have required all providers to charge municipalities and townships the same Medicaid rate used to bill counties. Although that bill died in December, officials say they are going to try to have in reintroduced later this year.