Revision: Jan. 11, 2018, 3:42 p.m.
SB 576-FN - AS INTRODUCED
2018 SESSION
18-2973
01/03
SENATE BILL 576-FN
AN ACT deleting the suspension of home health services rate setting.
SPONSORS: Sen. Bradley, Dist 3
COMMITTEE: Finance
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ANALYSIS
This bill repeals the provision suspending home health services rate setting established in 2017, 156.
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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Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
18-2973
01/03
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Eighteen
AN ACT deleting the suspension of home health services rate setting.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Repeal. 2017, 156:77, suspension of home health services rate setting, is repealed.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect upon its passage.
18-2973
1/9/18
SB 576-FN- FISCAL NOTE
AS INTRODUCED
AN ACT deleting the suspension of home health services rate setting.
FISCAL IMPACT: [ X ] State [ ] County [ ] Local [ ] None
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| |||
| Estimated Increase / (Decrease) | |||
STATE: | FY 2018 | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 |
Appropriation | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Revenue | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Expenditures | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable | Indeterminable |
Funding Source: | [ X ] General [ ] Education [ ] Highway [ ] Other | |||
METHODOLOGY:
This bill repeals Chapter 156:77, Laws of 2017 (HB 517), which suspends for the FY 2018-2019 biennium the statutory process of rate setting for home health services. The bill would cause RSA 126-A:18 to be effective for the biennium, meaning the Department of Health and Human Services would be required to:
(1) Adopt rules establishing a rate-setting methodology "which establishes unit [M]edicaid reimbursement rates for home health services which reflect the average cost to deliver services";
(2) Establish annually on or before October 1 unit rates for "home health services paid under [M]edicaid which better reflect the average cost to deliver services"; and
(3) Provide a biennial report on rates for home health services, beginning on November 1, 2017.
The Department states that since it does not currently have a rule for the rate-setting methodology, it is unable to compare the statutory methodology to the current rates to determine whether they would increase, decrease, or remain unchanged. The Department therefore anticipates the bill will have an indeterminable impact on state expenditures. The Office of Legislative Budget Assistant notes that the provision suspending the rate-setting process was added to HB 517 (the budget trailer bill codified as Chapter 156) out of a concern, expressed by the Department during the budget process, that allowing the statutory rate-setting process to go into effect would increase state expenditures by an indeterminable amount. As the suspension is only in place through the end of FY 2019, there will be no fiscal impact beyond the FY 2018-2019 biennium.
AGENCIES CONTACTED:
Department of Health and Human Services