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Transfers Between Health Funds

SECTION 44.   Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office for administration and finance may transfer up to $30,000,000 from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund established in section 2OOO of chapter 29 of the General Laws to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund established in section 66 of chapter 118E of the General Laws. The executive office of health and human services and the health safety net office shall fund the hospital fiscal year 2016 payment amount to each hospital for services provided to low-income, uninsured or underinsured residents pursuant to sections 66 and 69 of chapter 118E from the Health Safety Net Trust Fund. 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 sections 66 and 69 of chapter 118E using sources distinct from the funding made available to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund. The secretary for 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 to address such needs. The secretary for administration and finance shall notify the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on health care financing of any proposed transfers between the Health Safety Net Trust Fund and the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund at least 30 days before making any such transfers.
 
 

Summary:
This section authorizes the secretary for administration and finance to transfer from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund up to $30 million, and throughout the fiscal year, to evaluate the revenue needs of the Health Safety Net Trust Fund and the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund and to make additional transfers between those two funds. 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 beyond the $30 million authorization specified in the section.