To provide further for the availability of indigent health care, the operation of the Medicaid Program, and the maintenance and expansion of emergency medical transport services:

Commencing no later than the fiscal quarter starting April 1, 2023, and through and including the fiscal quarter starting July 1, 2024, an assessment is imposed on each emergency medical transport provider based on emergency medical transports.

The quarterly assessment for each emergency medical transport provider shall be calculated based on the product of the assessment rate and the total number of emergency medical transports rendered by the emergency medical transport provider from the previous fiscal quarter.

It will be calculated by multiplying the projected total gross receipts for all emergency medical transport providers for a fiscal year by 5.3 percent, which resulting product shall be divided by the projected total annual emergency medical transports by all emergency medical transport providers for the fiscal year. In no case shall the proportion of assessments collected under this article divided by total gross receipts, expressed as a percentage, exceed half a percent less than the maximum percentage of the annual aggregate net patient revenue for emergency medical transport providers that is prescribed pursuant to federal law and regulations.

The assessment shall be deposited to the Alabama Health Care Trust Fund.