CMS announced the 2026 calendar year Ambulance Inflation Factor (AIF) will be 2%. This will be effective from January 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026.

The 2% inflation factor will be applied to the 2026 ambulance fee schedule amounts and the 2026 payment limits for ambulance services.

How the Ambulance Inflation Factor (AIF) is calculated:

The FY2025 U.S. Department of Labor Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) was 2.7%.

The CY2026 CMS Multi-Factor Productivity (MFP) reduction is 0.7%

(2.7% CPI-U) – (0.7% MFP) = 2% AIF

Some historical context:

The 2011 CMS ambulance productivity adjustment, mandated by the Affordable Care Act, reduced all future Medicare reimbursement rates by subtracting the 10-year moving average of Multi-Factor Productivity (MFP) from the annual inflation update. This MFP adjustment went into effect on January 1, 2011 and applies to the annual Ambulance Inflation Factor, which lowers the reimbursement of ambulance service payments as listed in the ambulance fee schedule.  

CMS Transmittal 13464 is attached.

CMS Transmittal 2104 is attached, 2011 Ambulance Productivity Adjustment