Section 2KKKKK: Nonpublic Ambulance Service Reimbursement Trust Fund
Section 2KKKKK. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund known as the Nonpublic Ambulance Service Reimbursement Trust Fund to be administered by the secretary of health and human services. There shall be credited to the fund: (i) all revenues generated from the funds collected pursuant to subsection (b) of section 67A of chapter 118E; (ii) an amount equal to any federal financial participation revenues claimed and received by the commonwealth for eligible expenditures made from the fund; (iii) any revenue from appropriations or other money authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; and (iv) interest earned on any money in the fund. Amounts credited to the fund shall be expended without further appropriation. Money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years. No expenditure shall be made from said fund which shall cause said fund to be in deficit at the close of a fiscal year.
(b) Money in the fund shall be expended for Medicaid payments to nonpublic ambulance services defined in subsection (a) of section 67A of chapter 118E.
(c) Revenues generated from clauses (i) and (ii) of the second sentence of subsection (a) shall be expended exclusively for nonpublic ambulance services defined in subsection (a) of section 67A of chapter 118E and shall not be used to replace payment commitments between the nonpublic ambulance services and the commonwealth. The expenditures shall be established by the executive office of health and human services in a manner consistent with the requirements and conditions of federal financial participation under 42 U.S.C. 1396b(w) and 42 C.F.R. 433.68, including the prohibitions against hold harmless provisions as defined under 42 U.S.C. 1396b(w)(4) and 42 C.F.R. 433.68(f) and shall be made only under federally-approved payment methods and consistent with federal funding requirements and all federal payment limits as determined by the secretary of health and human services. Federal financial participation shall be sought in a manner that achieves the maximum amount of federal revenue such that the assessment amount equals the state share of the qualifying Medicaid ambulance service payments related to this section.
(d) The schedule of payment amounts to be established and distributed by the executive office of health and human services under this section shall be developed in a manner that: (i) promotes the provider capacity, access and quality management needs of the Medicaid program as those needs are determined by the secretary of health and human services; (ii) considers the cost of services delivered by providers for which the providers are not fully reimbursed or otherwise compensated, including, but not limited to, free care and services delivered in good faith reliance on authorization; (iii) considers existing Medicaid reimbursement rates; and (iv) closes the gap between Medicaid rates and average commercial rates. The executive office of health and human services shall consult with stakeholders, including the Massachusetts Ambulance Association, Incorporated, in the development and implementation of the payments. In order to accommodate timing discrepancies between the receipt of revenue and related expenditures, the comptroller may certify for payment amounts not to exceed the most recent revenue estimates as certified by the secretary of health and human services to be transferred, credited or deposited under this section.
(e) Annually, not later than September 30, the executive office of health and human services shall file a report with the house and senate committees on ways and means which shall include: (i) a detailed accounting of all money transferred, credited or deposited into and from the fund; (ii) the reasons for any unspent amount in the fund; and (iii) an analysis of the respective uniform assessment paid by nonpublic ambulance services, defined in section 67A of chapter 118E.