“Let’s hope the governor will agree with all of us,” Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, an Albany Democrat, said at the conference. “We’ve had tremendous support in the Assembly and the state Senate so really hoping we will see that signature for the governor very soon and turn this situation around.” The “Direct Pay” bill would need to be signed before the end of the year to become law. “To me this is common sense legislation,” said Sheriff Craig Apple. “I’m shocked to learn that it’s been 10 years in the making.”

“Oftentimes, what our EMS agents have become is a collection agency,” said Assemblymember Sarah Clark, “Instead of putting time and resources into what they need to do to deliver health care services and make sure people are safe and healthy and getting the medical treatment they need, they're calling people and tracking down dollars that are owed to them for services provided.”

"This isn't going to be the fix for all the problems, but it certainly can help alleviate some of the financial stress. We still need EMTs. We still need people educated on when to call 911," said Assemblymember Joe Angelino.

Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon of Marcy and Senator Joe Griffo of Rome rallied residents in front of the State Office Building in downtown Utica Thursday morning. “This legislation guarantees emergency medical services agencies are compensated for the essential service they are providing. Our ambulance service providers are there for us when we dial 911 and play a vital role in public health and safety across the Mohawk Valley. We must prioritize critical health care service providers and mandate that those that receive those services pay for them. This bill requires direct reimbursement from the insurance companies to the EMS providers,” Buttenschon said.

 "It's a good bill, a reasonable bill, and without it, a lot of these organizations are going to go out of business", Syracuse area Democratic Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli at a press conference in Camiulus NY. Eric Kehoe, executive director of WAVES Ambulance in Camillus, says the insurance company sends reimbursement checks for any out-of-network calls, to patients. Those checks often don’t get turned over to the ambulance service. "They don't understand what the check is for," Kehoe said. "They cash it, they spend the money, the money's gone. Other people will throw the check out. Then there are, unfortunately, some people that cash it nefariously. They understand 'If I ever need money, I'll call the ambulance. I'll get a check,' and they'll do it repetitively."