HB 541-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2001 SESSION
01/09
HOUSE BILL 541-FN
AN ACT requiring certain hospitals to provide charity care and continually appropriating a special fund.
This bill requires non-profit hospitals to provide 4 percent of their gross income in charity care in the hospital's community. If there is a balance remaining from the 4 percent, the balance is to be deposited into a fund administered by the department of health and human services to be used for the purposes of providing assistance to low-income and uninsured persons for prescription drugs. The commissioner of the department of health and human services is granted rulemaking authority for the purposes of the bill.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
01-0810
01/09
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand One
AN ACT requiring certain hospitals to provide charity care and continually appropriating a special fund.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Subdivision; Non-Profit Hospitals and Charity Care. Amend RSA 151 by inserting after section 31 the following new subdivision:
Non-Profit Hospitals and Charity Care
151:32 Non-Profit Hospitals to Provide Certain Charity Care. Non-profit hospitals required to be licensed under this chapter shall, notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, provide 4 percent of their gross profits per year in charity care to the community in which the hospital is located. If there is a balance remaining on June 30 of any fiscal year as certified by the hospital to the department of health and human services, such balance shall be deposited into the fund established in RSA 151:33.
151:33 Prescription Drug Benefit Fund Established; Rulemaking.
I. There is hereby established in the office of the state treasurer a fund to be known as the prescription drug benefit fund. The fund shall be capitalized by any balance remaining from the assessment on gross sales under RSA 151:32 on non-profit hospitals. The fund shall be administered by the commissioner. Moneys in this fund shall be nonlapsing and continually appropriated to the department. The fund shall be used for providing assistance to low-income and uninsured persons.
II. The commissioner shall adopt rules pursuant to RSA 541-A, relative to:
(a) Eligibility requirements and an application process for assistance from the fund.
(b) Administration of the fund.
(c) Any other matter necessary to the administration of this chapter.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2001.
LBAO
01-0810
2/5/01
HB 541-FN - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT requiring certain hospitals to provide charity care and continually appropriating a special fund.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant is unable to complete a fiscal note for this bill as it is awaiting information from an agency.