HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3897        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1165

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Kevin G. Honan and Thomas M. Stanley

_________________

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 establishing a community health center transformation fund.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Kevin G. Honan

17th Suffolk

1/18/2019

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

1/18/2019

James Arciero

2nd Middlesex

1/31/2019

Bruce J. Ayers

1st Norfolk

2/1/2019

John Barrett, III

1st Berkshire

1/30/2019

Michael J. Barrett

Third Middlesex

1/29/2019

David Biele

4th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Natalie M. Blais

1st Franklin

1/29/2019

Michael D. Brady

Second Plymouth and Bristol

1/31/2019

Daniel Cahill

10th Essex

1/31/2019

Linda Dean Campbell

15th Essex

1/29/2019

Peter Capano

11th Essex

1/31/2019

Gerard J. Cassidy

9th Plymouth

1/31/2019

Tackey Chan

2nd Norfolk

1/31/2019

William L. Crocker, Jr.

2nd Barnstable

1/31/2019

Claire D. Cronin

11th Plymouth

2/1/2019

Daniel R. Cullinane

12th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Julian Cyr

Cape and Islands

1/22/2019

Marcos A. Devers

16th Essex

1/30/2019

Diana DiZoglio

First Essex

1/29/2019

Mindy Domb

3rd Hampshire

1/30/2019

Daniel M. Donahue

16th Worcester

1/29/2019

Michelle M. DuBois

10th Plymouth

1/20/2019

Lori A. Ehrlich

8th Essex

2/1/2019

James B. Eldridge

Middlesex and Worcester

1/30/2019

Nika C. Elugardo

15th Suffolk

2/2/2019

Dylan A. Fernandes

Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket

1/31/2019

Barry R. Finegold

Second Essex and Middlesex

2/1/2019

Denise C. Garlick

13th Norfolk

1/31/2019

Carmine Lawrence Gentile

13th Middlesex

1/29/2019

Carlos González

10th Hampden

1/30/2019

Patricia A. Haddad

5th Bristol

2/1/2019

Stephan Hay

3rd Worcester

2/1/2019

Jonathan Hecht

29th Middlesex

1/31/2019

Natalie M. Higgins

4th Worcester

2/1/2019

Russell E. Holmes

6th Suffolk

2/1/2019

Randy Hunt

5th Barnstable

1/31/2019

Louis L. Kafka

8th Norfolk

2/1/2019

Patrick Joseph Kearney

4th Plymouth

1/31/2019

Mary S. Keefe

15th Worcester

1/28/2019

Kay Khan

11th Middlesex

1/29/2019

John J. Lawn, Jr.

10th Middlesex

1/31/2019

David Henry Argosky LeBoeuf

17th Worcester

1/28/2019

David Paul Linsky

5th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Adrian C. Madaro

1st Suffolk

1/29/2019

John J. Mahoney

13th Worcester

1/31/2019

Paul McMurtry

11th Norfolk

1/31/2019

Christina A. Minicucci

14th Essex

1/25/2019

Liz Miranda

5th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Rady Mom

18th Middlesex

1/30/2019

Frank A. Moran

17th Essex

1/28/2019

James M. Murphy

4th Norfolk

1/31/2019

Tram T. Nguyen

18th Essex

1/27/2019

James J. O'Day

14th Worcester

1/29/2019

Sarah K. Peake

4th Barnstable

1/30/2019

Denise Provost

27th Middlesex

1/31/2019

David M. Rogers

24th Middlesex

1/28/2019

Daniel J. Ryan

2nd Suffolk

2/1/2019

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

2/1/2019

Jon Santiago

9th Suffolk

1/31/2019

Walter F. Timilty

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth

2/1/2019

José F. Tosado

9th Hampden

1/31/2019

Steven Ultrino

33rd Middlesex

1/29/2019

Andres X. Vargas

3rd Essex

1/31/2019

Aaron Vega

5th Hampden

1/29/2019

David T. Vieira

3rd Barnstable

2/1/2019

Bud L. Williams

11th Hampden

1/30/2019


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3897        FILED ON: 1/18/2019

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1165

By Messrs. Honan of Boston and Stanley of Waltham, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 1165) of Kevin G. Honan, Thomas M. Stanley and others relative to establishing a community health center transformation fund.  Health Care Financing.

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)

_______________

 

An Act establishing a community health center transformation 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. Chapter 29 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2018 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting section 2WWWW after section 2VVVV:

(a) For the purposes of this section, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following words shall have the following meanings:

“Community health center”, any community health center in the Commonwealth receiving a grant under 42 U.S.C section 254(b).

“Financial need”, shall be demonstrated by, but not limited to, evidence of any of the following criteria: (i) negative operating margins, (ii) insufficient cash flow or cash-on-hand, (iii) uncertain ability to cover long-term obligations, (iv) potential for loss, reduction, or full closure of critical community services, (v) a public payer mix of 63% or higher including uninsured individuals or individuals whose care may in whole or in part be subsidized by the Health Safety Net or the Health Connector, (vi) a substantial proportion of patients requiring additional services to meet unique cultural, linguistic, and socioeconomic needs, (vii) limited access to capital finance for essential health center services and operations; or (viii) inability to adequately meet staffing needs due to salary constraints and other issues regarding workforce recruitment and retention.

(a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund, to be known as the Community Health Center Transformation Fund. It shall be expended at the direction of the secretary of the executive office of health and human services.

(b) The secretary shall expend not less than $15,000,000 annually from the Community Health Center Transformation Fund to community health centers based upon their demonstrated financial need.

(c) The secretary may require as a condition of receiving payment from the fund that an eligible community health center agrees to an independent financial and operational audit to recommend steps to increase the sustainability and efficiency of the community health center.

(d) The executive office of health and human services shall promulgate regulations necessary to carry out this section.