NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9476A
SPONSOR: Gottfried (MS) TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing a
hospital supplemental reimbursement rate adjustment for enhanced safety
net hospitals
PURPOSE:
To assure adequate funding for safety net providers and the vital commu-
nity health services they provide.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends PHL 2807-c by adding a new subdivision 36 providing
the following:
*36 (a): defines "Enhanced Safety Net Hospital" as a hospital with the
following characteristics:
o Not less than 50% of the patients it treats receive Medicaid or are
medically uninsured;
o Not less than 40% of its inpatient discharges are covered by Medicaid;
o 25% or less of its discharged patients are commercially insured;
o Not less than 3% of the patients it provides services to are attri-
buted to the care of uninsured patients;
o Provides care to uninsured patients in its ER, clinics including the
provision of important community services such as dental and prenatal
care; or
o Is a public hospital operated by a county, municipality or public
benefit corporation.
o Is federally designated as a critical access or sole community hospi-
tal.
*36 (b) provides that the Commissioner of Health will adjust Medicaid
rates of payment for enhanced safety net hospitals to support critically
needed health care services and continued operation of such hospitals.
*36 (c) provides that there will be no local share to Medicaid payment
adjustments.
Section 2 provides for an April 1 effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Current definitions used to target financial resources to safety net
providers are overly broad and often exclude public-sponsored providers.
It is necessary to provide a more focused definition to characterize
true safety providers to assure their financial viability and the pres-
ervation of the vital community health services they provide.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A.7480 of 2013-14 (similar bill): referred to Health Committee
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First day of April next succeeding the date on which it shall have
become a law.
