{"data":{"id":"us-ca/hsc-1797.233","jurisdiction":"us-ca","citation":"HSC § 1797.233","heading":"","body":"(a) A ground ambulance provider shall not require an uninsured patient or self-pay patient to pay an amount more than the established payment by Medi-Cal or Medicare fee-for-service amount, whichever is greater.\n(b) (1) A ground ambulance provider shall only advance to collections the Medicare or Medi-Cal payment amount, as determined pursuant to subdivision (a), that the uninsured or self-pay patient failed to pay.\n(2) The ground ambulance provider, or an entity acting on its behalf, including a debt buyer or assignee of the debt, shall not do either of the following:\n(A) Report adverse information to a consumer credit reporting agency.\n(B) Commence civil action against the individual for a minimum of 12 months after the initial billing regarding amounts owed by the individual pursuant to subdivision (a).\n(3) With respect to an uninsured patient or self-pay patient, the ground ambulance provider, or an entity acting on its behalf, including an assignee of the debt, shall not use wage garnishments or liens on primary residences as a means of collecting unpaid bills pursuant to this section.\n(c) Ground ambulance service providers remain subject to balance billing protections for Medi-Cal beneficiaries under Section 14019.4 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.","path":["Health and Safety Code - HSC","DIVISION 2.5. EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES [1797. - 1863.]","CHAPTER 4. Local Administration [1797.200. - 1797.276.]","ARTICLE 1. Local EMS Agency [1797.200. - 1797.233.]"],"source_url":"https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zip","current_through":"2026-09-13","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T05:56:33Z","sha256":"b635539e68a013103a029e058de601758a2613b180095ff064743fd707337199","source_id":"us-ca","stale":false,"prev":"us-ca/hsc-1797.231","next":"us-ca/hsc-1797.250"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}