Legislative findings and purpose

33-2-2301 . Legislative findings and purpose. (1) The legislature finds that: (a) air ambulance services provide a necessary, and sometimes lifesaving, means of transporting Montanans experiencing health emergencies; (b) Montanans desire adequate access to air ambulance services; (c) in many cases the high charges assessed by out-of-network air ambulance services and limited insurer and health plan reimbursements have resulted in Montanans incurring excessive out-of-pocket expenses; and (d) the federal Airline Deregulation Act preempts states from enacting any law related to a price, route, or service of an air carrier, which is interpreted as applying to air ambulance services. (2) The purpose of this part is to prevent Montanans from incurring excessive out-of-pocket expenses in out-of-network air ambulance situations in a manner that is not preempted by the Airline Deregulation Act.