The “veil of ignorance” is a type of thought experiment in which one attempts to design the rules of a society or system without knowing where the individual will ultimately fall within that system. The thought experiment is meant to ensure fairness and impartiality. While there is a general consensus that more funding should be allocated to EMS, the more challenging questions are any additional funds should be allocated. Should Medicare allocate additional dollars to rural providers over urban providers? Should additional funding be devoted to low-volume providers? Do certain base rates no longer reflect operational realities? Through real-time polling and audience discussion, we will attempt to put aside considerations on how certain reforms might benefit our own organization, and focus on improving the system as a whole. In doing so, we should come away with a greater understanding of the challenges faced by our national representatives as they debate the future of Medicare’s payment for ambulance services.
