Revision: Dec. 10, 2009, midnight
HB 1308-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2010 SESSION
10/01
HOUSE BILL 1308-FN
AN ACT relative to health screenings for members of the general court.
SPONSORS: Rep. Gidge, Hills 24
COMMITTEE: Legislative Administration
This bill allows members of the general court to receive biennial prostate and breast cancer screenings.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
10-2113
10/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Ten
AN ACT relative to health screenings for members of the general court.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 General Court Members; Health Screening. Amend RSA 14-A:4 to read as follows:
14-A:4 Members Entitled to Health Screening. Every 2 years, the department of health and human services shall provide, at no charge, health screening to be conducted at the state house or at a suitable hospital or clinic for each member of the general court who chooses to receive it. Such screening shall include oral cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, diabetes, glaucoma, hypertension and nutritional counseling. The speaker of the house and the president of the senate shall determine the date, time and place for administering these examinations.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
10-2113
11/10/09
HB 1308-FN - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to health screenings for members of the general court.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Health and Human Services states this bill will increase state expenditures by $84,770 in FY 2011 and in FY 2013. This bill will have no fiscal impact on state, county, and local revenue or on county and local expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Health and Human Services states this bill requires the Department to add breast cancer and prostate cancer screenings, every two years, to the health services it currently offers to members of the general court. The Department states neither its Division of Public Health Services (DPHS) nor the statehouse nurse’s office would have the capacity, equipment, or the clinical capability to provide the screenings, therefore a contracted medical clinic would be needed to deliver the screenings. The Department assumes because the screenings are to be provided every two years, the contract, developed through the Comprehensive Cancer Program, would be put into place in the first year and the screenings, conducted by the contracted healthcare agency, would occur in the second year. The Department indicated that an existing DPHS employee would be available to get that contract in place during the first year of each two-year cycle, although some of the other duties of that employee may be displaced by the efforts required for this task. In determining the contract funds required to pay for the screenings, the Department assumes a 100% utilization rate on the part of the legislators (presently 419 in both bodies), with all female legislators (153 in both bodies) participating in the breast cancer screenings and all male legislators (266 in both bodies) participating in the prostate cancer screenings. The Department points out that this assumption does not factor in common practice for both screenings whereby only those over certain ages, unless certain high-risk indicators exist, are recommended to be screened. The Department also states the 100% utilization rate does not factor in the legislators who may obtain these screenings through coverage under Medicare or private insurance. The Department assumes that the contract costs for the screenings would consist of reimbursement for the costs of each office visit and each test performed, which would include follow-up recommendations and any necessary referrals, and an allocated overhead cost of 10%, with a total program cost every two years as follows:
LBAO
10-2113
11/10/09
Service # of Legislators Cost per unit Total Cost
Office visits 153 $114.75 $17,557
Mammograms 153 $102.00 $15,606
Subtotal $33,163
10% Overhead $3,316
Total for breast cancer screening $36,479
Service # of Legislators Cost per unit Total Cost
Office visits 266 $114.75 $30,524
Digital rectal exam 266 $23.80 $6,331
Prostate specific antigen test 266 $26.49 $7,046
Subtotal $43,901
10% Overhead $4,390
Total for prostate cancer screening $48,291
Grand Total for the 2 additional screenings $84,770
The Department assumed these costs would be incurred in the second year of each two year cycle, FY 2011 and 2013. The Department also stated that its cost estimate did not point out any costs that may arise for further care or services due to a positive cancer result.