Bill > H4495

This bill authorizes the executive office for administration and finance to transfer $15,000,000 from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund, which supports subsidized health insurance programs, to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund, which funds care for low-income, uninsured, or underinsured residents. The Health Safety Net Trust Fund will then be used to pay hospitals for services provided to these residents, potentially through various payment mechanisms including safety net care payments or adjustments to service rates. The bill also allows for up to $70,000,000 in uncompensated care at public service hospitals to be reimbursed through other federally permissible funding sources, separate from the Health Safety Net Trust Fund. Furthermore, the secretary of administration and finance, in consultation with other officials, will quarterly assess the revenue needs of both the Health Safety Net Trust Fund and the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund and, if needed, transfer money between them to ensure sufficient funds for projected program expenses. Any such transfers must be reported to legislative committees at least 30 days in advance. This act is declared an emergency law, taking effect on July 1, 2016, to ensure the immediate preservation of public convenience.