Assembly Bill No. 69–Assemblyman Goldwater

Prefiled January 28, 1999

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Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services

 

SUMMARY—Revises provisions governing payment of hospitals for treating disproportionate share of Medicaid patients, indigent patients or other low-income patients. (BDR 38-912)

FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.

Effect on the State or on Industrial Insurance: No.

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted. Green numbers along left margin indicate location on the printed bill (e.g., 5-15 indicates page 5, line 15).

 

AN ACT relating to welfare; requiring the state plan for Medicaid to provide payment to hospitals for treating a disproportionate share of Medicaid patients, indigent patients or other low-income patients in proportion to the total uncompensated amount of the costs incurred by the hospital for health care services provided to such patients during the preceding year; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

1-1 Section 1. NRS 422.387 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2 422.387 1. Before making the payments required or authorized by

1-3 this section, the department shall allocate money for the administrative

1-4 costs necessary to carry out the provisions of NRS 422.380 to 422.390,

1-5 inclusive. The amount allocated for administrative costs must not exceed

1-6 the amount authorized for expenditure by the legislature for this purpose in

1-7 a fiscal year [. The interim finance committee may adjust the amount

1-8 allowed for administrative costs.] and must not exceed 10 percent of the

1-9 total payments made pursuant to subsection 2.

1-10 2. The state plan for Medicaid must provide:

1-11 (a) For the payment of the maximum amount allowable under federal

1-12 law and regulations after making a payment, if any, pursuant to paragraph

1-13 (b), to public hospitals for treating a disproportionate share of Medicaid

1-14 patients, indigent patients or other low-income patients, unless such

1-15 payments are subsequently limited by federal law or regulation.

2-1 (b) For a payment in an amount approved by the legislature to the

2-2 private hospital that provides the largest volume of medical care to

2-3 Medicaid patients, indigent patients or other low-income patients in a

2-4 county that does not have a public hospital.

2-5 The plan must be consistent with the provisions of NRS 422.380 to

2-6 422.390, inclusive, and Title XIX of the Social Security Act , [(] 42 U.S.C.

§§ 1396 et seq. , [),] and the regulations adopted pursuant to those

2-7 provisions.

2-8 3. Payments made pursuant to subsection 2 must be made to each

2-9 hospital in proportion to the total uncompensated amount of the costs

2-10 incurred by the hospital for health care services provided to Medicaid

2-11 patients, indigent patients and other low-income patients during the

2-12 preceding year.

2-13 4. The department may amend the state plan for Medicaid to modify

2-14 the methodology for establishing the rates of payment to public hospitals

2-15 for inpatient services, except that such amendments must not reduce the

2-16 total reimbursements to public hospitals for such services.

2-17 Sec. 2. This section becomes effective at 12:01 a.m. on July 1, 1999.

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