Florida Senate - 2009                        COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
       Bill No. SB 556
       
       
       
       
       
       
                                Barcode 324258                          
       
                              LEGISLATIVE ACTION                        
                    Senate             .             House              
                  Comm: RCS            .                                
                  03/04/2009           .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
                                       .                                
       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————




       —————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
       The Committee on Health Regulation (Gaetz) recommended the
       following:
       
    1         Senate Amendment (with title amendment)
    2  
    3         Delete everything after the enacting clause
    4  and insert:
    5         Section 1. Subsection (9) of section 409.911, Florida
    6  Statutes, is amended to read:
    7         409.911 Disproportionate share program.—Subject to specific
    8  allocations established within the General Appropriations Act
    9  and any limitations established pursuant to chapter 216, the
   10  agency shall distribute, pursuant to this section, moneys to
   11  hospitals providing a disproportionate share of Medicaid or
   12  charity care services by making quarterly Medicaid payments as
   13  required. Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 409.915, counties
   14  are exempt from contributing toward the cost of this special
   15  reimbursement for hospitals serving a disproportionate share of
   16  low-income patients.
   17         (9) The Agency for Health Care Administration shall create
   18  a Medicaid Low-Income Pool Council by July 1, 2006. The Low
   19  Income Pool Council shall consist of 24 17 members, including 3
   20  members appointed by the President of the Senate, 3 members
   21  appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives,  3
   22  representatives of statutory teaching hospitals, 3
   23  representatives of public hospitals, 3 representatives of
   24  nonprofit hospitals, 3 representatives of for-profit hospitals,
   25  2 representatives of rural hospitals, 2 representatives of units
   26  of local government which contribute funding, and 1
   27  representative of family practice teaching hospitals, and 1 non
   28  voting representative of the Agency for Health Care
   29  Administration, who shall serve as chair of the council. No
   30  member of the council shall be subject to ss. 11.045 or
   31  112.3215, unless the member is also a full time employee of a
   32  public entity. Of the members appointed by the Senate President,
   33  1 and only 1 must be a physician. Of the members appointed by
   34  the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 1 and only 1 must
   35  be a physician. None of the legislative appointees may be
   36  employed by any entity receiving funds from the Low-Income Pool.
   37  The council shall:
   38         (a) Make recommendations on the financing of the low-income
   39  pool and the disproportionate share hospital program and the
   40  distribution of their funds.
   41         (b) Advise the Agency for Health Care Administration on the
   42  development of the low-income pool plan required by the federal
   43  Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services pursuant to the
   44  Medicaid reform waiver.
   45         (c) Advise the Agency for Health Care Administration on the
   46  distribution of hospital funds used to adjust inpatient hospital
   47  rates, rebase rates, or otherwise exempt hospitals from
   48  reimbursement limits as financed by intergovernmental transfers.
   49         (d) Submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor
   50  and the Legislature no later than February 1 of each year.
   51         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2009.
   52  
   53  ================= T I T L E  A M E N D M E N T ================
   54         And the title is amended as follows:
   55         Delete everything before the enacting clause
   56  and insert:
   57  A bill to be entitled
   58  An act related to the Medicaid program; amending s. 409.911,
   59  F.S.; increasing the number of members of the Low-Income Pool
   60  Council; providing membership criteria; providing an effective
   61  date.