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256.9657 Provider surcharges.

Subdivision 1. Nursing home license surcharge. (a) Effective July 1, 1993, each non-state-operated nursing home licensed under chapter 144A shall pay to the commissioner an annual surcharge according to the schedule in subdivision 4. The surcharge shall be calculated as $620 per licensed bed. If the number of licensed beds is reduced, the surcharge shall be based on the number of remaining licensed beds the second month following the receipt of timely notice by the commissioner of human services that beds have been delicensed. The nursing home must notify the commissioner of health in writing when beds are delicensed. The commissioner of health must notify the commissioner of human services within ten working days after receiving written notification. If the notification is received by the commissioner of human services by the 15th of the month, the invoice for the second following month must be reduced to recognize the delicensing of beds. Beds on layaway status continue to be subject to the surcharge. The commissioner of human services must acknowledge a medical care surcharge appeal within 30 days of receipt of the written appeal from the provider.

(b) Effective July 1, 1994, the surcharge in paragraph (a) shall be increased to $625.

Subd. 1a. Waiver request. The commissioner shall request a waiver from the secretary of health and human services to: (1) exclude from the surcharge under subdivision 1 a nursing home that provides all services free of charge; (2) make a pro rata reduction in the surcharge paid by a nursing home that provides a portion of its services free of charge; (3) limit the hospital surcharge to acute care hospitals only; and (4) limit the physician license surcharge under section 147.01, subdivision 6, to physicians licensed in Minnesota and residing in Minnesota or a state contiguous to Minnesota. If a waiver is approved under this subdivision, the commissioner shall adjust the nursing home surcharge accordingly or shall direct the board of medical practice to adjust the physician license surcharge under section 147.01, subdivision 6, accordingly. Any waivers granted by the federal government shall be effective on or after October 1, 1992.

Subd. 1b. Physician surcharge waiver request. (a) The commissioner shall request a waiver from the secretary of health and human services to exclude from the surcharge under section 147.01, subdivision 6, a physician whose license is issued or renewed on or after April 1, 1993, and who:

(1) provides physician services at a free clinic, community clinic, or in an underdeveloped foreign nation and does not charge for any physician services;

(2) has taken a leave of absence of at least one year from the practice of medicine but who intends to return to the practice in the future;

(3) is unable to practice medicine because of terminal illness or permanent disability as certified by an attending physician;

(4) is unemployed; or

(5) is retired.

(b) If a waiver is approved under this subdivision, the commissioner shall direct the board of medical practice to adjust the physician license surcharge under section 147.01, subdivision 6, accordingly.

Subd. 1c. Waiver implementation. If a waiver is approved under subdivision 1b, the commissioner shall implement subdivision 1b as follows:

(a) The commissioner, in cooperation with the board of medical practice, shall notify each physician whose license is scheduled to be issued or renewed between April 1 and September 30 that an application to be excused from the surcharge must be received by the commissioner prior to September 1 of that year for the period of 12 consecutive calendar months beginning December 15. For each physician whose license is scheduled to be issued or renewed between October 1 and March 31, the application must be received from the physician by March 1 for the period of 12 consecutive calendar months beginning June 15. For each physician whose license is scheduled to be issued or renewed between April 1 and September 30, the commissioner shall make the notification required in this paragraph by July 1. For each physician whose license is scheduled to be issued or renewed between October 1 and March 31, the commissioner shall make the notification required in this paragraph by January 1.

(b) The commissioner shall establish an application form for waiver applications. Each physician who applies to be excused from the surcharge under subdivision 1b, paragraph (a), clause (1), must include with the application:

(1) a statement from the operator of the facility at which the physician provides services, that the physician provides services without charge; and

(2) a statement by the physician that the physician will not charge for any physician services during the period for which the exemption from the surcharge is granted.

Each physician who applies to be excused from the surcharge under subdivision 1b, paragraph (a), clauses (2) to (5), must include with the application:

(i) the physician's own statement certifying that the physician does not intend to practice medicine and will not charge for any physician services during the period for which the exemption from the surcharge is granted;

(ii) the physician's own statement describing in general the reason for the leave of absence from the practice of medicine and the anticipated date when the physician will resume the practice of medicine, if applicable;

(iii) an attending physician's statement certifying that the applicant has a terminal illness or permanent disability, if applicable; and

(iv) the physician's own statement indicating on what date the physician retired or became unemployed, if applicable.

(c) The commissioner shall notify in writing the physicians who are excused from the surcharge under subdivision 1b.

(d) A physician who decides to charge for physician services prior to the end of the period for which the exemption from the surcharge has been granted under subdivision 1b, paragraph (a), clause (1), or to return to the practice of medicine prior to the end of the period for which the exemption from the surcharge has been granted under subdivision 1b, paragraph (a), clause (2), (4), or (5), may do so by notifying the commissioner and shall be responsible for payment of the full surcharge for that period.

(e) Whenever the commissioner determines that the number of physicians likely to be excused from the surcharge under subdivision 1b may cause the physician surcharge to violate the requirements of Public Law Number 102-234 or regulations adopted under that law, the commissioner shall immediately notify the chairs of the senate health care committee and health care and family services funding division and the house of representatives human services committee and human services funding division.

Subd. 2. Hospital surcharge. (a) Effective October 1, 1992, each Minnesota hospital except facilities of the federal Indian Health Service and regional treatment centers shall pay to the medical assistance account a surcharge equal to 1.4 percent of net patient revenues excluding net Medicare revenues reported by that provider to the health care cost information system according to the schedule in subdivision 4.

(b) Effective July 1, 1994, the surcharge under paragraph (a) is increased to 1.56 percent.

Subd. 3. Health maintenance organization; community integrated service network surcharge. (a) Effective October 1, 1992, each health maintenance organization with a certificate of authority issued by the commissioner of health under chapter 62D and each community integrated service network licensed by the commissioner under chapter 62N shall pay to the commissioner of human services a surcharge equal to six-tenths of one percent of the total premium revenues of the health maintenance organization or community integrated service network as reported to the commissioner of health according to the schedule in subdivision 4.

(b) For purposes of this subdivision, total premium revenue means:

(1) premium revenue recognized on a prepaid basis from individuals and groups for provision of a specified range of health services over a defined period of time which is normally one month, excluding premiums paid to a health maintenance organization or community integrated service network from the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program;

(2) premiums from Medicare wrap-around subscribers for health benefits which supplement Medicare coverage;

(3) Medicare revenue, as a result of an arrangement between a health maintenance organization or a community integrated service network and the health care financing administration of the federal Department of Health and Human Services, for services to a Medicare beneficiary; and

(4) medical assistance revenue, as a result of an arrangement between a health maintenance organization or community integrated service network and a Medicaid state agency, for services to a medical assistance beneficiary.

If advance payments are made under clause (1) or (2) to the health maintenance organization or community integrated service network for more than one reporting period, the portion of the payment that has not yet been earned must be treated as a liability.

(c) When a health maintenance organization or community integrated service network merges or consolidates with or is acquired by another health maintenance organization or community integrated service network, the surviving corporation or the new corporation shall be responsible for the annual surcharge originally imposed on each of the entities or corporations subject to the merger, consolidation, or acquisition, regardless of whether one of the entities or corporations does not retain a certificate of authority under chapter 62D or a license under chapter 62N.

(d) Effective July 1 of each year, the surviving corporation's or the new corporation's surcharge shall be based on the revenues earned in the second previous calendar year by all of the entities or corporations subject to the merger, consolidation, or acquisition regardless of whether one of the entities or corporations does not retain a certificate of authority under chapter 62D or a license under chapter 62N until the total premium revenues of the surviving corporation include the total premium revenues of all the merged entities as reported to the commissioner of health.

(e) When a health maintenance organization or community integrated service network, which is subject to liability for the surcharge under this chapter, transfers, assigns, sells, leases, or disposes of all or substantially all of its property or assets, liability for the surcharge imposed by this chapter is imposed on the transferee, assignee, or buyer of the health maintenance organization or community integrated service network.

(f) In the event a health maintenance organization or community integrated service network converts its licensure to a different type of entity subject to liability for the surcharge under this chapter, but survives in the same or substantially similar form, the surviving entity remains liable for the surcharge regardless of whether one of the entities or corporations does not retain a certificate of authority under chapter 62D or a license under chapter 62N.

(g) The surcharge assessed to a health maintenance organization or community integrated service network ends when the entity ceases providing services for premiums and the cessation is not connected with a merger, consolidation, acquisition, or conversion.

Subd. 4. Payments into the account. (a) Payments to the commissioner under subdivisions 1 to 3 must be paid in monthly installments due on the 15th of the month beginning October 15, 1992. The monthly payment must be equal to the annual surcharge divided by 12. Payments to the commissioner under subdivisions 2 and 3 for fiscal year 1993 must be based on calendar year 1990 revenues. Effective July 1 of each year, beginning in 1993, payments under subdivisions 2 and 3 must be based on revenues earned in the second previous calendar year.

(b) Effective October 1, 1995, and each October 1 thereafter, the payments in subdivisions 2 and 3 must be based on revenues earned in the previous calendar year.

(c) If the commissioner of health does not provide by August 15 of any year data needed to update the base year for the hospital and health maintenance organization surcharges, the commissioner of human services may estimate base year revenue and use that estimate for the purposes of this section until actual data is provided by the commissioner of health.

Subd. 5. Repealed, 1992 c 513 art 7 s 135

Subd. 6. Notice; appeals. At least 30 days prior to the date the payment is due, the commissioner shall give each provider a written notice of each payment due. A provider may request a contested case hearing under chapter 14 within 30 days of receipt of the notice. The decision of the commissioner regarding the amount due stands until the appeal is decided. The provider shall pay the contested payment at the time of appeal with settle-up at the time of appeal resolution.

Subd. 7. Collection; civil penalties. The provisions of sections 289A.35 to 289A.50 relating to the authority to audit, assess, collect, and pay refunds of other state taxes may be implemented by the commissioner of human services with respect to the tax, penalty, and interest imposed by this section and section 147.01, subdivision 6. The commissioner of human services shall impose civil penalties for violation of this section or section 147.01, subdivision 6, as provided in section 289A.60, and the tax and penalties are subject to interest at the rate provided in section 270.75. The commissioner of human services shall have the power to abate penalties and interest when discrepancies occur resulting from, but not limited to, circumstances of error and mail delivery. The commissioner of human services shall bring appropriate civil actions to collect provider payments due under this section and section 147.01, subdivision 6.

Subd. 8. Commissioner's duties. The commissioner of human services shall report to the legislature quarterly on the first day of January, April, July, and October regarding the provider surcharge program. The report shall include information on total billings, total collections, and administrative expenditures. The report on January 1, 1993, shall include information on all surcharge billings, collections, federal matching payments received, efforts to collect unpaid amounts, and administrative costs pertaining to the surcharge program in effect from July 1, 1991, to September 30, 1992. The surcharge shall be adjusted by inflationary and caseload changes in future bienniums to maintain reimbursement of health care providers in accordance with the requirements of the state and federal laws governing the medical assistance program, including the requirements of the Medicaid moratorium amendments of 1991 found in Public Law No. 102-234. The commissioner shall request the Minnesota congressional delegation to support a change in federal law that would prohibit federal disallowances for any state that makes a good faith effort to comply with Public Law Number 102-234 by enacting conforming legislation prior to the issuance of federal implementing regulations.

HIST: 1991 c 292 art 4 s 21; 1992 c 513 art 7 s 16-21,133; 1993 c 345 art 1 s 21; 1Sp1993 c 1 art 5 s 11-16; 1994 c 625 art 8 s 61; 1995 c 207 art 6 s 14,15; 1997 c 225 art 2 s 57

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes