SF 2962

Introduction - 80th Legislature (1997 - 1998)

Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00 a.m.

  1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; directing the commissioner of 
  1.3             human services to provide bridge funding to the 
  1.4             neighborhood health care network and the Minnesota 
  1.5             primary care association for distribution to their 
  1.6             current members for uncompensated care; appropriating 
  1.7             money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.8             Statutes, chapter 256. 
  1.9   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.10     Section 1.  [256.9653] [BRIDGE FUNDING FOR UNCOMPENSATED 
  1.11  CARE.] 
  1.12     Subdivision 1.  [DEFINITIONS.] (a) For purposes of this 
  1.13  section, the following terms have the meanings given them. 
  1.14     (b) "NHCN" means the neighborhood health care network. 
  1.15     (c) "MPCA" means the Minnesota primary care association.  
  1.16     (d) "NHCN member" means a community-based clinic that: 
  1.17     (1) provides primary health care services to residents of 
  1.18  its service area through its staff and supporting resources or 
  1.19  through contracts or cooperative arrangements with public or 
  1.20  private entities; 
  1.21     (2) was established to serve the primary health care needs 
  1.22  of low-income population groups; 
  1.23     (3) uses a sliding fee scale based on ability to pay and 
  1.24  does not limit access or care because of the financial 
  1.25  limitation of a client; 
  1.26     (4) has nonprofit status under chapter 317; and 
  1.27     (5) has current NHCN membership as of July 1, 1998. 
  2.1      (e) "MPCA member" means a federally qualified health center 
  2.2   as defined in United States Code, title 42, section 1396d, 
  2.3   paragraph (l), clause (2), item (B), whose MPCA membership is 
  2.4   current as of July 1, 1998. 
  2.5      (f) "Uncompensated health care" means the sum of revenue 
  2.6   foregone by a health care clinic through the provision of 
  2.7   charity health care and unsubsidized health care for uninsured 
  2.8   and underinsured persons that is not covered by other funding 
  2.9   sources, including medical assistance, general assistance, 
  2.10  MinnesotaCare, or private health coverage. 
  2.11     Subd. 2.  [PROVISION OF FUNDING.] (a) The commissioner of 
  2.12  human services shall distribute funds to the NHCN and the MPCA 
  2.13  for distribution to current NHCN and MPCA members for the 
  2.14  provision of uncompensated care.  
  2.15     (b) The commissioner, NHCN, and MPCA shall mutually agree 
  2.16  upon a distribution methodology that is based upon: 
  2.17     (1) the amount of uncompensated care provided; 
  2.18     (2) overall financial condition, as documented in a 
  2.19  financial statement; 
  2.20     (3) the ratio of uninsured and underinsured patients to 
  2.21  total patients served; and 
  2.22     (4) how the applicant plans to meet the requirements of 
  2.23  subdivision 3.  
  2.24     (c) The NHCN and MPCA shall distribute the available 
  2.25  funding to member clinics based on the agreed formula. 
  2.26     Subd. 3.  [ALTERNATIVE COVERAGE.] The recipients of funding 
  2.27  must make appropriate efforts to collect payment for health 
  2.28  services from patients and payers by: 
  2.29     (1) screening each uninsured and underinsured client for 
  2.30  alternative sources of health care coverage; and 
  2.31     (2) assisting clients who are potentially eligible for 
  2.32  MinnesotaCare, medical assistance, and other government health 
  2.33  care programs to apply for those programs. 
  2.34     Sec. 2.  [APPROPRIATION.] 
  2.35     $2,500,000 is appropriated from the general fund to the 
  2.36  commissioner of human services for the fiscal year ending June 
  3.1   30, 1999, to provide bridge funding for uncompensated care under 
  3.2   section 1.