Transfers Between Health Funds

SECTION 41.   Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of health and human services and the health safety net office shall fund the hospital fiscal year 2017 payment amount to each acute care hospital and community health center from the Health Safety Net Trust Fund established in section 66 of chapter 118E of the General Laws. Payments may be made either as safety net care payments under the commonwealth's waiver pursuant to section 1115 of the federal Social Security Act or as an adjustment to Title XIX service rate payments or a combination of both. Other federally permissible funding mechanisms available for public service hospitals, as defined by regulations of the executive office of health and human services, may be used to reimburse up to $70,000,000 of uncompensated care pursuant to said section 66 and section 69 of said chapter 118E using sources distinct from the funding made available to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund. The secretary of administration and finance, in consultation with the secretary of health and human services and the executive director of the commonwealth health insurance connector authority, shall on a quarterly basis evaluate the revenue needs of the health safety net program funded by the Health Safety Net Trust Fund and any subsidized health insurance programs funded by the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund and may transfer monies between these funds as they determine appropriate. The secretary of administration and finance shall report any transfers made between the Health Safety Net Trust Fund and the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on health care financing within 30 days of the proposed transfer.
 
 

Summary:
This section authorizes payments to be made to acute care hospitals and community health centers from the Health Safety Net Trust Fund in hospital year 2017. This section also authorizes the use of other federally permissible sources of payment to fund up to $70 million of additional payments for uncompensated care.