Modifying certain health and human services provisions, providing for+ the organization, operation and financing of state government ARTICLE 1 � HEALTH CARE COST CONTAINMENT; CONSUMER EMPOWERMENTRequiring the commissioner of employee relations (DOER) during +collective bargaining negotiations with state employees to propose inclusion of +a plan of hospital and medical benefits combined with a high deductible health +plan and health savings account for certain federal qualification purposes; +requiring health care providers to provide consumers upon request with certain information on the range of health plan company payments received by +the provider; requiring licensed pharmacists to disclose to patients the +costs of prescription drugs paid for or reimbursed by group purchasers and the+ copayment requirement, prohibiting contracts between health plan companies and +pharmacies from prohibiting the disclosure ARTICLE 2 � HEALTH CARE COST CONTAINMENT; BEST PRACTICESRequiring state agencies to encourage the adoption of best practice +guidelines and participation in best practices measurement activities by +physicians, other health care providers, colleges and universities, health care +purchasers and health plan companies to improve quality and reduce health care +costs, specifying certain requirements of the commissioners of health and +employee relations (DOER); subjecting outpatient surgical centers to adverse +health events reporting requirements; requiring and providing for the +commissioner of human services under medical assistance (MA) to implement disease +management initiatives to improve patient care and health outcomes and reduce +health care costs ARTICLE 3 � HEALTH CARE COST CONTAINMENT; COST SHIFTINGLimiting the expansion of state health care programs; requiring the commissioner of human services to evaluate the extent of cost +shifting by heath care providers to private sector payers and individuals paying for +services out of pocket resulting from state health care program reimbursement +rates, specifying certain evaluation requirements and requiring presentation+ of results and recommendations to the legislature by a certain date ARTICLE 4 � HEALTH CARE COST CONTAINMENT; REDUCING GOVERNMENT MANDATESPlacing a moratorium on the enactment of new mandated health +benefits; requiring the commissioner of commerce to permit health carriers to +offer alternative health benefit plans to small employers under certain +conditions; repealing the requirement for health plans to provide coverage for +autologous bone marrow transplants for the treatment of breast cancerARTICLE 5 � HEALTH CARE COST CONTAINMENT; HEALTH PLAN COMPETITION AND+ REFORMAuthorizing the use of health plan forms issued by commercial +insurance companies before approval by the commissioner of commerce (file and +use); subjecting health insurance coverage for scalp hair prostheses to the+ same enrollee cost sharing requirements applicable to similarly covered +items; requiring health insurance coverage for surveillance tests for +ovarian cancer for women at risk for the cancer; expanding the definition of health maintenance organization and authorizing the qualification of out of +state corporations as HMOs subject to obtaining a certificate of authority +to conduct business in the state; increasing the minimum and maximum premium +rates for the Minnesota comprehensive health association (MCHA); authorizing and +providing for the commissioners of health, commerce and human services to +conduct routine audits and investigations of nonprofit health service plan +corporations, HMOs, community integrated service networks (CISN) and managed care +organizations operating under medical assistance (MA), general assistance medical +care (GAMC) or MinnesotaCare respectively or to accept independent audit +information from qualified nationally recognized independent organizations using +comparable or more stringent audit procedures; authorizing health plan company +electronic transmission of data to enrollees under certain conditions; +transferring regulatory authority over HMOs from the commissioner of health to the commissioner of commerce after a certain date ARTICLE 6 � HEALTH CARE COST CONTAINMENT; ADMINISTRATIVE +SIMPLIFICATIONAuthorizing the board of medical practice to conduct final interviews+ of applicants for licensure to practice medicine by endorsement or +reciprocity by teleconference; requiring the commissioner of human services to +establish an information web site to assist health care providers in obtaining +oral language interpreter services needed for certain patients seeking health care +services; requiring the commissioners of human services, health and commerce to+ evaluate health care reporting requirements of health plan companies to reduce+ the number of reports and to submit a consolidated report to the +legislature by a certain date; repealing certain expenditure reporting requirements of+ health care providers ARTICLE 7 � CHILD CAREQualifying family child care providers for child care assistance +subsidies for children in the family under certain conditions; modifying certain +subsidy restrictions; limiting provider reimbursements for absent days; +reducing annual child care center licensing fees; extending the provider rate freeze +and prohibiting counties from reducing reimbursement rates to child care +centers below certain established rates; requiring counties to reserve the +position of families under the child care assistance fund temporary ineligible +due to increased income from military serviceARTICLE 8 � ECONOMIC SUPPORTSRequiring participants in the diversionary work program with children+ under a certain age to participate in employment services, sanctions +exemption; reducing the age of persons required to participate in the food stamp employment and training program; modifying the limit on the cost of +services for county food stamp and employment programs; modifying the family +cap and reducing the number of months of post-secondary education or training+ approved as a work activity under the Minnesota family investment program and +increasing the amount of public and assisted rental subsidies counted as +unearned income for calculation of MFIP cash grants ARTICLE 9 � HEALTH CARE Expanding prescription drug program eligibility requirements to +application for the medicare discount card and prohibiting coverage under the program+ for drugs covered by the card, exceptions; requiring program enrollees also +enrolled in the medicare drug discount card plan to obtain prescription drugs +from pharmacies enrolled as providers in both programs; prohibiting the +commissioner of human services from reimbursing pharmacies enrolled in the drug +prescription drug program until exhaustion of the medicare drug discount card +subsidy, exceptions; modifying the asset limit for burial expenses for medical assistance (MA) eligibility purposes; specifying an annual date for +the counting of social security benefit increases for the employed +persons with disabilities medical assistance eligibility category; modifying +medical assistance coverage for pregnant noncitizens; eliminating the annual +benefit limit for dental services provided under medical assistance to +certain adult enrollees; expanding exceptions to medical assistance copayment +requirements for certain long term residents of hospitals or nursing homes; +providing a temporary definition of eligible individuals under the prepayment +demonstration project; modifying certain general assistance medical care (GAMC) +eligibility requirements and eliminating the copayment and coinsurance +requirements for dental services and copayment requirements for certain recipients of +group residential housing payments; providing for commissioner calculation +of gross earned and unearned income for MinnesotaCare eligibility +determination purposes; modifying MinnesotaCare coverage for dental services; +expanding copayment requirements; providing coverage under the MinnesotaCare +program limited benefit set for certain vision services and for diabetic +supplies and equipment and exempting certain enrollees receiving GRH payments from+ copayment requirements; modifying the effective date for MinnesotaCare coverage+ for newly adopted children; eliminating continuing enrollment in MinnesotaCare +for persons determined to be ineligible for exceeding income limits; +eliminating persons refusing medicare coverage from MinnesotaCare program +eligibility and modifying eligibility for certain persons with other health insurance+ coverage within four months of application for MinnesotaCare; requiring the +commissioner to request federal approval of certain provisions; repealing the +prescription drug program at a certain future date and the MinnesotaCare outreach +grant program ARTICLE 10 � LONG TERM CARECreating an exception to the nursing home bed moratorium to license +and certify a new facility in the city of Austin under certain conditions; +modifying certain requirements for commissioner of health establishment and implementation of a program providing training and education to +licensed nursing facility providers; requiring and providing for the +commissioner to establish a quality improvement program for the nursing facility +survey and complaint processes, specifying certain reporting requirements; +prescribing procedures for the federally required survey process; requiring the commissioner of human services to amend the interagency agreement +with the commissioner of health to certify nursing facilities for +participation in the medical assistance (MA) program to require the commissioner of health+ as a condition of the agreement to comply with action plans included in +the required annual survey and certification quality improvement reports; +designating certain nursing facilities as metropolitan facilities for medical +assistance reimbursement purposes; requiring and providing for the commissioner +of human services to adjust operating cost per diems to assist certain +facilities in paying increased professional liability insurance costs; prohibiting +inflation adjustments for nursing facility operating costs under the +alternative payment system for certain fiscal years; requiring commissioner grants to +eligible medicare certified home care agencies to assist in paying certain +increased professional liability insurance premiums; requiring the commissioner+ of health to seek federal waivers, approvals and law changes necessary to +implement the alternative nursing home survey process and to seek changes in the +federal policy mandating the imposition of federal sanctions without +providing an opportunity to correct deficiencies; repealing the nursing facility +scholarship program ARTICLE 11 � CONTINUING CAREModifying certain requirements for parental contribution to the cost +of services for children with mental retardation; requiring the +commissioner of human services to establish cost sharing provisions for individuals participating in the HIV/AIDS insurance program; establishing an +additional priority category for home and community based waiver services under +medical assistance (MA) for certain persons with eliminated consumer support +grants; eliminating the division of cost requirements under medical +assistance for certain longer term placements in intermediate care facilities for +persons with mental retardation or related conditions; expanding the information+ required in annual waivered services reports; requiring the commissioner to +consult with ICF/MR providers, advocates, counties and consumer families to +develop recommendations and legislation relating to future ICF/MR services +and report to the legislature by a certain date, specifying certain factors to +be considered by the commissioner in preparing the recommendations; +requiring the commissioner to consult with a group of stakeholders in conducting an independent evaluation of the new consumer directed community support+ option under the home and community based waiver programs required by the +federal center for medicare and medicaid services ARTICLE 12 � DHS PROGRAM INTEGRITY AND ADMINISTRATION Authorizing the commissioner of human services in cooperation with +county agencies to test and compare administrative models to demonstrate and+ evaluate outcomes of integrating health care program business processes and +points of access in coordination with the development and implementation of +HealthMatch; authorizing county agencies to retain a certain percentage of +MinnesotaCare assistance recovery collections; authorizing the department of human +services in lieu of local agencies to initiate administrative fraud +disqualification hearings for individuals accused of wrongfully obtaining assistance +or intentional program violations; expanding the definition of third +party payer for medical assistance purposes; requiring specific identification +for medical assistance, general assistance medical care and MinnesotaCare rate +changes to affect volume purchase competitive bid contract payments; modifying +certain excess income provisions relating to payment of long term care +services for medical assistance eligibility purposes and changing the date for +advance payment of the monthly spenddown; requiring notice to the department +of monetary claims against persons, entities or corporations potentially+ liable for the cost of medical care upon payment by the department of the +care costs, requiring medical assistance recipients asserting claims against +third parties potentially liable for medical costs to join the department as a +party to the claim and requiring granting of first recovery to the department, +prevailing party disbursements liability exception; providing a cause of action +for periods of medical assistance long term care ineligibility relating +to advance notice of ineligibility due to uncompensated transfers; requiring +assets transferred for less than fair market value to be included in +determining eligibility for individuals applying for GAMC hospital only coverage;+ providing general assistance (GA) eligibility for persons refusing to provide +social security numbers based on a religious objection; requiring +MinnesotaCare applicants to provide social security numbers, exempting newborns +and persons with religious objections; requiring MinnesotaCare enrollees to +comply with certain claim notice and settlement requirements; requiring attempts +to obtain other benefits to be eligible for MinnesotaCare; providing for the +continuation of life estates and joint tenancy interests in real estate for medical assistance recovery purposes ARTICLE 13 � MISCELLANEOUSRequiring the commissioner of health to regard grants or loans +previously awarded under the rural hospital capital improvement grant and loan +program as grants not subject to repayment as loans; requiring and providing for commissioner review of hospital construction moratorium exceptions +for public interest determination purposes; authorizing supportive housing +establishments for the homeless to register as housing with services establishments, authorizing certain group residential housing (GRH) agreements; +prohibiting the use of family planning grant funds to subsidize abortion services; +defining administrative restriction, safety and security under the civil +commitment law and providing for the right of patients to be free from unnecessary +or excessive administrative restriction; providing for protection of +civilly committed sex offenders under the patients bill of rights, +authorizing certain limits; authorizing the commissioner of health to conduct a +demonstration program under certain federal waivers to demonstrate the impact of a +single benefit level on the rate of permanency for children in long term +foster care through transfer of permanent legal custody or adoption; authorizing +Minnesota supplemental aid (MSA) recipients relocating from rule 36 facilities +to receive an additional amount equal to the maximum allotment authorized by the+ federal food stamp program; excluding certain services provided under +medical assistance (MA) and services provided to certain housing +establishments from the definition of patient services for MinnesotaCare gross earnings +tax imposition purposes ARTICLE 14 � HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FORECAST ADJUSTMENTSAdjusting certain prior appropriations to the commissioners of health+ and human services to reflect forecast updates; updating certain language +relating to the use of federal medicaid funds by the commissioner of human services; +increasing certain prior appropriations to the commissioner for federal TANF +(temporary assistance for needy families) funds use purposes and modifying +certain prior appropriations for MinnesotaCare and medical assistance (MA) basic +health care grants for families and children and for the elderly and disabled, +for general assistance medical care (GAMC) grants, for health care operations, +for continuing care, mental health and community support grants, for +medical assistance long term care waivers and home care and long term care +facilities, group residential housing (GRH), chemical dependency entitlement and +economic support grants, for the Minnesota family investment program and for +general assistance (GA) and Minnesota supplemental aid (MSA) grants and to +the commissioner of education for MFIP child careARTICLE 15 � APPROPRIATIONS Reducing appropriations to the commissioner of human services for +agency management; appropriating federal TANF (temporary assistance for +needy families) funds to the commissioner for use with the working family +tax credit program; appropriating money to the commissioner for children's +services, basic health care, MinnesotaCare and general assistance medical care (GAMC)+ grants, for health care management, for state operated services and for +continuing care, aging adult and deaf and hard of hearing services, mental +health, community support, medical assistance (MA) long term care facilities, alternative care and chemical dependency entitlement and +nonentitlement grants; reducing appropriations for certain health care, economic support and+ group residential housing (GRH) grants; shifting certain capitation +payments; specifying certain health care grants forecast requirements; +requiring the management of growth in the TBI and CADI waivers; providing for a +nursing facility scholarship program and for rate and allocation increases +for continuing care programs; appropriating money to the commissioner of +health for the health care access and for health protection and reducing +appropriations for management and support services; reducing appropriations to the +veterans homes board; requiring certain fund transfers; sunsetting uncodified +language (ra)