HF 2439

as introduced - 84th Legislature (2005 - 2006) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to health; establishing coordinated care
safety net programs to provide cost-effective services
to uninsured and low-income persons with chronic
disease; requiring a report; appropriating money.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. new text begin COORDINATED CARE PROGRAM FOR UNINSURED AND
LOW-INCOME PERSONS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Grants for start-up and evaluation. new text end

new text begin The
commissioner of human services, in collaboration with safety net
health care clinics, hospitals, and other providers who provide
free and reduced cost health care to uninsured and low-income
persons, shall establish regional coordinated care programs to
provide coordinated care and disease management services to
low-income persons who have a chronic disease. The commissioner
shall provide administrative grants to pay for start-up expenses
and work with safety net providers to ensure that low-income
persons initially enrolled in the coordinated care programs
receive continuous, coordinated health care and disease
management services, both when they are uninsured and when they
are eligible for a state health care program. Persons enrolled
in the coordinated care programs must receive a membership card,
be assigned a primary health care provider, and participate in a
disease management program that will not change as eligibility
for state health care programs changes. The coordinated care
programs may charge enrollees a fee based on a sliding fee
scale, when the enrollees are not eligible for state health care
programs.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Health care for the uninsured. new text end

new text begin Within the
limits of appropriations provided for this purpose, the
commissioner of human services shall provide payments to safety
net providers to cover the costs of basic health care services
provided to uninsured persons enrolled in the coordinated care
programs. Payment may be made either through uncompensated care
grants or by paying on a fee-for-service basis for services
rendered, or a combination of both.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Evaluation. new text end

new text begin The commissioner shall provide
grants for program evaluation to measure the effectiveness of
the coordinated care programs in:
new text end

new text begin (1) improving quality of care for low-income persons with
chronic disease;
new text end

new text begin (2) reducing unnecessary emergency room use and preventing
avoidable hospitalizations;
new text end

new text begin (3) reducing total costs of care for enrolled persons;
new text end

new text begin (4) reducing state health care program costs by reducing
the number of uninsured persons in the coordinated care programs
who subsequently enroll in state health care programs, or by
reducing the cost of care for persons who enroll in state health
care programs after having participated in the coordinated care
programs while uninsured; and
new text end

new text begin (5) reducing disparities in health status, access to health
care, or quality of care.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 4. new text end

new text begin Insurance laws. new text end

new text begin The program established under
this section is not a health plan as defined in Minnesota
Statutes, section 62A.011, subdivision 3.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin REPORT.
new text end

new text begin The commissioner of human services shall provide annual
progress reports to the legislature by February 1, 2007, and
February 1, 2008.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin The following amounts are appropriated from the general
fund to the commissioner of human services for the fiscal year
ending June 30, 2006, for purposes of section 1:
new text end

new text begin (1) $....... for administrative start-up grants;
new text end

new text begin (2) $....... for evaluation grants; and
new text end

new text begin (3) $....... for grants or payments to provide basic health
care services to uninsured patients enrolled in coordinated care
programs.
new text end