SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1177        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 569

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Sal N. DiDomenico

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to benefit the health safety net trust fund.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Sal N. DiDomenico

Middlesex and Suffolk

Barbara A. L'Italien

Second Essex and Middlesex

Michael O. Moore

Second Worcester

Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr.

28th Middlesex

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr.

12th Hampden

Carmine L. Gentile

13th Middlesex

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

Frank A. Moran

17th Essex

Josh S. Cutler

6th Plymouth

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

Chris Walsh

6th Middlesex

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

Paul R. Heroux

2nd Bristol


SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1177        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 569

By Mr. DiDomenico, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 569) of Sal N. DiDomenico, Barbara L'Italien, Michael O. Moore, Joseph W. McGonagle, Jr. and other members of the General Court for legislation relative to the health safety net trust fund.  Health Care Financing.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

_______________

 

An Act to benefit the health safety net trust fund.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.   The Center for Health Information and Analysis shall amend the Health Safety Net Payments and Funding regulations (114.6 CMR 14.00) in order to increase the revenue available for provider payments and to reduce the Health Safety Net fund’s shortfall amount.  Such amendment shall:

a) Establish a new Large Physician Organizations Assessment that creates a $20,000,000 annual liability for independent physician organizations with more than 500 physician members that is not a corporate affiliate of or otherwise controlled by a licensed acute care hospital.  A physician organization - whether a parent physician group or a local practice group as defined by the Center for Health Information and Analysis - shall be considered independent, however organized, so long as such practice is owned and controlled by one or more of the practitioners so associated.   Such independent physician organizations shall be exempt from liability for this new assessment if their percentage of gross billed charges for services reimbursed by the state Office of Medicaid is equal to or greater than 15% of their total gross billed charges for that fiscal year.

b) Ensure that such Large Physician Organizations who contribute to the Health Safety Net under subsection (a) are reimbursed for uncompensated care in a manner consistent with payments made to hospitals and community health centers under 114.6 CMR 14.00, the Massachusetts Section 1115 Demonstration Waiver governing safety net care, or any other federally required limit on payments under 42 U.S.C.1396a(a)(13) or 42 CFR 447.