# 119-hr-3443: When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients Act

119-hr-3443, When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Hudson, Richard [R-NC-9] (R-NC); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3443
- As of: 2026-09-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-3443
- Congress: 119
- Title: When Minutes Count for Emergency Medical Patients Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-05-15
- Sponsor: Rep. Hudson, Richard [R-NC-9] (R-NC)
- Cosponsors: 9
- Policy area: Health
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-21

## Summary

**This bill would create a Medicare model to provide supplemental payments to EMS for life‑saving drugs and blood products.** It would pay ground and air ambulance agencies on a cost basis and require data reporting to measure effects on shortages, care, and outcomes over at least five years. - Emergency medical services agencies: Eligible EMS agencies that apply and are selected would receive lump‑sum monthly or quarterly payments based on total costs to maintain supplies, cover blood product acquisition and transport, and run required reporting software. They must keep at least double the average acquisition amount of specified medications in year one. - Patients and communities: The model aims to ensure EMS professionals can promptly give listed medications and blood products during emergencies. The program would track effects on morbidity and mortality for Medicare and Medicaid patients and on care in rural and underserved areas. - Policy and hospitals: The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission must report within two years on EMS payment issues. The Secretary must issue Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act guidance on hospital "wall time" within one year and then report on whether it reduced delays and recommend any needed legislation.

## Cosponsors (9)

- Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI), 2025-05-15T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tenney, Claudia [R-NY-24] (R-NY), 2025-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Gottheimer, Josh [D-NJ-5] (D-NJ), 2026-02-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2026-03-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mackenzie, Ryan [R-PA-7] (R-PA), 2026-03-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Glenn [R-PA-15] (R-PA), 2026-04-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Bilirakis, Gus M. [R-FL-12] (R-FL), 2026-04-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Kiggans, Jennifer A. [R-VA-2] (R-VA), 2026-06-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Goldman, Craig A. [R-TX-12] (R-TX), 2026-09-15T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Extra Medicare payments for EMS: benefit, medium. This bill would create a Medicare pilot to pay EMS agencies extra money to keep life‑saving drugs and blood on hand. Payments would be lump‑sum monthly or quarterly amounts based on total costs for drugs, blood products, storage, transport, administration, wastage, and data systems. The model would…
- Hospital guidance on EMS handoff delays: benefit, medium. This bill would define "wall time" as minutes beyond 30 after EMS hands a patient to hospital staff who can treat them. The Secretary would have one year to issue guidance to hospitals on addressing wall time. One year after that guidance, the Secretary would report to Congress on whether wall time…
- MedPAC study of Medicare EMS payments: benefit, medium. This bill would require MedPAC to report to Congress within two years on Medicare payment for emergency medical services. The study would examine payment for EMS medical directors and EMS professionals, look at workforce shortages since 2020, recommend quality assurance steps, and consider whether…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-7567: Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026
- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act
- 119-hr-6130: ASAP Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-3443 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/3443)

## Related
- [119-hr-7567: Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7567)
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-3514: Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3514)
- [119-hr-2102: Major Richard Star Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2102)
- [119-hr-6130: ASAP Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6130)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3443 (as of 2026-09-21).