Bill > H1286

This bill aims to address the financial sustainability of the Health Safety Net, which is a fund used to provide payments to acute hospitals and community health centers for reimbursable health services to uninsured and underinsured residents. The key provisions of the bill include: 1. Requiring that no less than the amounts specified in the law be annually transferred from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund to ensure adequate funding. 2. Introducing a new "supplemental surcharge amount" that will be equal to 50% of the annual revenue shortfall in the Health Safety Net Trust Fund, which will be paid by acute hospitals and surcharge payors. 3. Expanding the funding sources for the Health Safety Net Trust Fund to include the supplemental surcharge amount, in addition to existing sources such as payments from acute hospitals and surcharge payors. 4. Directing the Health Safety Net Office to allocate any remaining revenue shortfall in the fund in a manner that reflects each hospital's proportional financial requirement for reimbursements, including through a graduated reimbursement system. The overall goal of the bill is to improve the financial sustainability of the Health Safety Net and ensure that it can continue to provide necessary reimbursements to healthcare providers serving uninsured and underinsured residents.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/H1286