Budget Amendment ID: FY2017-S4-639

EHS 639

Gateway Cities Health Care Provider Relief Task Force

Messrs. Welch and Humason moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting, after section 80, the following new section:-

"SECTION XX.There shall be a task force called 'Gateway Cities Health Care Provider Relief Task Force' which shall consist of: the secretary of housing and economic development or a designee; the secretary of health and human services or a designee; and the executive director of the health policy commission or a designee.  The task force shall examine the impact of inadequate reimbursement rates on job loss and reduction in critical and essential health care services in gateway cities.  The task force shall consider: (i) patient population characteristics, population health statistics, patient case-mix data and insurance and coverage data, including but not limited to data filed with the center for health information and analysis such as DHCFP-403 cost reports, hospital charge books, and quarterly and  annual financials; (ii) the health policy commission annual cost trend report; (iii) recent discontinuations or threatened discontinuations of essential health services by hospitals; (iv) recent hospital closures; (v) labor market information published by the executive office of labor and workforce development; and (vi) other relevant statistical information.  Based on its findings, the task force shall have the authority to increase medicaid rates for health care providers in gateway cities and shall assist these health care providers with obtaining increased reimbursement from other third party payers.  A health care provider may also petition the task force for rate relief.  The task force shall review the petition and shall announce the level of rate relief within sixty (60) days.  The task force shall give priority to not-for-profit, acute care hospital (teaching hospital led) integrated health care delivery systems.  For the purposes of this section, not-for-profit, acute care hospital (teaching hospital led) integrated health care delivery systems shall mean those systems that have multiple hospitals, a level I trauma designation, primary stroke service, an affiliated health plan and which operates multiple community health centers, plus medicaid revenue which is greater than twenty-four percent of the health care provider’s total costs."