Legislative Session number- 83

Bill Name: SF1760

E Relating to health care; regulating health insurance premium + growth rates,
requiring and providing for the commissioner of health to set annual +premium
growth limits for health plan companies; changing the requirement for+ the
commissioner to establish cost containment goals to a requirement to +establish
annual health care expenditure limits for health plan companies, +prohibiting
the limits from exceeding the premium limits; requiring health plan +companies
to annually provide to enrollees information on the increased +personal health
risks and additional costs to the health care system due to obesity +and to the
use of tobacco and to develop an information sheet to be posted on +the
department web site; requiring the commissioner to distinguish +between the
individual, small group and large group markets in the collection of +certain
cost containment data from group purchasers; requiring state agencies+ to
encourage the adoption of best practice guidelines and participation +in best
practices measurement activities by physicians, other health care +providers and
health plan companies to reduce health care costs, requiring and +providing for
the commissioner to facilitate access to best practice guidelines and+ quality
of care measurement information to providers, purchasers and +consumers,
requiring the commissioners of human services and employee relations +(DOER) to
use the data to make decisions about contracts entered into with +health plan
companies, providing for pass through of payment withholds; providing+ for the
implementation of an electronic medical record system for use by +health care
providers to achieve administrative cost savings and to improve the +safety,
quality and efficiency of health care delivery, specifying certain +duties of
the commissioner of health, requiring commissioner of human services appointment
of an advisory committee and a commissioner of health +progress report to the
legislature by a certain date; requesting clinical +medical education programs
training pediatricians to include curriculum in +case management and medication
management for children suffering from +mental illness; requiring and providing
for the commissioner of health to +establish and implement a loan program to
help physicians or group practices to+ finance the installation of electronic
medical record systems, specifying +eligibility and establishing the electronic
medical record system loan fund, +authorizing and providing for the sale revenue
bonds by the commissioner of +finance; expanding eligibility for nurses under
the health professional +education loan forgiveness program; modifying
eligibility under the prescription +drug discount program and the continuing
care program for persons with mental +illness; modifying eligibility under the
medical assistance (MA) program; +modifying the definition of telemedicine
consultation for medical assistance +coverage purposes, authorizing telephone
conversations relating to the +management of medications for children with
mental health needs; eliminating +certain limits on medical assistance coverage
for dental services; requiring and +providing for the commissioner of human
services in consultation with the +commissioner of health to biennially
establish a list of health care services not +eligible for medical assistance,
general assistance medical care or the +MinnesotaCare program and requiring the
commissioner of human services to design +and implement a disease management
initiative for the medical assistance,+ GAMC and MinnesotaCare programs to
provide an integrated systematic approach +to manage health care needs of
recipients with certain conditions or diseases +requiring frequent medical
attention; requiring the commissioner to increase +scholarship reimbursements to
certain providers to be used for certain employee +scholarship costs and
training in English as a second language (ESL); temporarily+ modifying
eligibility for the medical assistance prepaid demonstration project;+ modifying
eligibility for GAMC and eliminating certain copayment requirements; +modifying
eligibility for certain services under the MinnesotaCare program, +further
detailing certain application requirements and modifying certain +copayment
requirements; providing a MinnesotaCare option for small employers, +evaluation
requirement; expanding the focus of the program of federal grants to +maintain
independence and employment; requiring the commissioner human +services in
consultation with the commissioner of corrections to examine the +feasibility of
providing discounted prescription drugs to targeted patient +populations through
the use of the federal public health services act, specifying certain
information requirements; requiring the commissioner of human +services to
estimate the cost savings to medical assistance, GAMC and +MinnesotaCare due to
implementation of the disease management initiatives and submit +certain
recommendations to the legislature by a certain date; requiring the
commissioners of human services, health and commerce to conduct a +health care
reporting consolidation study and submit a report to the legislature +by a
certain date; requiring the commissioners of education, health and +human
services to convene a task force to study and make recommendations on+ the role
of public schools in improving the health status of children and +report to the
legislature by a certain date; requiring the commissioners of human +services
and employee relations to develop a written plan for a provider +payment system
to be implemented by a certain date, specifying certain system +requirements and
requiring submission of the plan to the legislature by a certain +date;
appropriating money to the board of trustees of the Minnesota state +colleges
and universities (MnSCU) for the nursing and health care education +plan, to the
commissioner of finance for the electronic medical record system loan+ fund, to
the commissioner of health for the loan forgiveness program and to +the board of
regents of the university of Minnesota for the dental clinic to +address dental
care access for low income patients; repealing the expiration date of+ the
prescription drug discount program and certain medical assistance +copayment
requirements(ja)