1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to health; eliminating the application 
  1.3             deadline for essential community provider status; 
  1.4             modifying termination and renewal of designation; 
  1.5             amending Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 62Q.19, 
  1.6             subdivisions 2 and 6. 
  1.7   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.8      Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 62Q.19, 
  1.9   subdivision 2, is amended to read: 
  1.10     Subd. 2.  [APPLICATION.] (a) Any provider may apply to the 
  1.11  commissioner for designation as an essential community provider 
  1.12  by submitting an application form developed by the 
  1.13  commissioner.  Applications must be accepted within two years 
  1.14  after the effective date of the rules adopted by the 
  1.15  commissioner to implement this section. 
  1.16     (b) Each application submitted must be accompanied by an 
  1.17  application fee in an amount determined by the commissioner.  
  1.18  The fee shall be no more than what is needed to cover the 
  1.19  administrative costs of processing the application. 
  1.20     (c) The name, address, contact person, and the date by 
  1.21  which the commissioner's decision is expected to be made shall 
  1.22  be classified as public data under section 13.41.  All other 
  1.23  information contained in the application form shall be 
  1.24  classified as private data under section 13.41 until the 
  1.25  application has been approved, approved as modified, or denied 
  1.26  by the commissioner.  Once the decision has been made, all 
  2.1   information shall be classified as public data unless the 
  2.2   applicant designates and the commissioner determines that the 
  2.3   information contains trade secret information. 
  2.4      Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 62Q.19, 
  2.5   subdivision 6, is amended to read: 
  2.6      Subd. 6.  [TERMINATION OR RENEWAL OF DESIGNATION; 
  2.7   COMMISSIONER REVIEW.] The designation as an essential community 
  2.8   provider terminates shall be valid for a five-year period from 
  2.9   the date of designation.  Five years after it the designation of 
  2.10  essential community provider is granted, or when universal 
  2.11  coverage as defined under section 62Q.165 is achieved, whichever 
  2.12  is later to a provider, the commissioner shall review the need 
  2.13  for and appropriateness of continuing the designation for that 
  2.14  provider.  The commissioner may require a provider whose 
  2.15  designation is to be reviewed to submit an application to the 
  2.16  commissioner for renewal of the designation, and may require an 
  2.17  application fee to be submitted with the application to cover 
  2.18  the administrative costs of processing the application.  Based 
  2.19  on that review, the commissioner may renew a provider's 
  2.20  essential community provider designation for an additional 
  2.21  five-year period or terminate the designation.  Once the 
  2.22  designation terminates, the former essential community provider 
  2.23  has no rights or privileges beyond those of any other health 
  2.24  care provider.  The commissioner shall make a recommendation to 
  2.25  the legislature on whether an essential community provider 
  2.26  designation should be longer than five years. 
  2.27     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.28     Section 1 is effective the day following final enactment.