Budget Amendment ID: FY2017-S4-392

EHS 392

Mitigate Adverse Effects of the Assessment

Mr. Brownsberger moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting after section 38 the following new section:-

“SECTION 38A:  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the secretary of the executive office of health and human services shall provide annual grants, in such amounts as are determined below, to eligible centers to mitigate the impact on such centers resulting from the increase in the total acute hospital assessment amount provided for by SECTION 37 of this Act and until SECTION 80 of this Act shall become effective.  Eligible centers for purposes of this SECTION are comprehensive cancer centers, as defined in section 1 of chapter 6D of the General Laws, that, as a result of implementation of said SECTION 37, experience a negative health safety net impact of greater than $7.5 million.  For purposes of this SECTION a negative health safety net impact means the additional amount each year by which such center’s liability to the health safety net trust fund under section 65 of chapter 118E over such center’s reimbursement from the health safety net trust fund under section 69 of chapter 118E increased as a result of implementation of said SECTION 37.  Each annual grant provided by the secretary shall be in an amount of no less than 60% of the negative health safety net impact and shall be provided to each such center to support the costs of its specialized services not otherwise paid by the Medicaid office, for its community benefits, and for purposes of its developing care management models for its patients that support the commonwealth’s policies of promoting alternative payment methodologies.  Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, and except to the extent not prohibited by federal law, the secretary is directed to fund such annual grants from such sources as the secretary shall determine, but not from the Health Safety Net Trust Fund or from the Distressed Hospital Trust Fund, and not from amounts credited to the MassHealth Delivery System Reform Trust Fund, established by section 2SSSS of chapter 29, as added by SECTION 25 of this Act, except for amounts in excess of the $250,000,000 that the secretary is required to expend annually under said section 2SSSS, either directly or under subcontracts with managed care organizations, for MassHealth services provided by qualifying acute care hospital providers.”