Senate Bill 0802
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Florida Senate - 2000 SB 802
By Senator Saunders
25-588A-00
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the county public hospital
3 surtax; amending s. 212.055, F.S.; revising
4 provisions that require the counties authorized
5 to levy the surtax to annually appropriate a
6 specified minimum amount for operation,
7 administration, and maintenance of the county
8 public general hospital; providing procedure
9 for disbursement of funds by certain counties;
10 requiring a public health authority or agency
11 in such counties to adopt and implement a
12 health care plan for indigent health care
13 services; specifying provisions of the plan;
14 providing an effective date.
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16 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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18 Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (5) of section
19 212.055, Florida Statutes, is amended, present paragraph (e)
20 of that subsection is redesignated as paragraph (f), and a new
21 paragraph (e) is added to that subsection, to read:
22 212.055 Discretionary sales surtaxes; legislative
23 intent; authorization and use of proceeds.--It is the
24 legislative intent that any authorization for imposition of a
25 discretionary sales surtax shall be published in the Florida
26 Statutes as a subsection of this section, irrespective of the
27 duration of the levy. Each enactment shall specify the types
28 of counties authorized to levy; the rate or rates which may be
29 imposed; the maximum length of time the surtax may be imposed,
30 if any; the procedure which must be followed to secure voter
31 approval, if required; the purpose for which the proceeds may
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Florida Senate - 2000 SB 802
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1 be expended; and such other requirements as the Legislature
2 may provide. Taxable transactions and administrative
3 procedures shall be as provided in s. 212.054.
4 (5) COUNTY PUBLIC HOSPITAL SURTAX.--Any county as
5 defined in s. 125.011(1) may levy the surtax authorized in
6 this subsection pursuant to an ordinance either approved by
7 extraordinary vote of the county commission or conditioned to
8 take effect only upon approval by a majority vote of the
9 electors of the county voting in a referendum. In a county as
10 defined in s. 125.011(1), for the purposes of this subsection,
11 "county public general hospital" means a general hospital as
12 defined in s. 395.002 which is owned, operated, maintained, or
13 governed by the county or its agency, authority, or public
14 health trust.
15 (d) The county shall continue to contribute each year
16 at least 80 percent of that percentage of the total county
17 budget appropriated for the operation, administration, and
18 maintenance of the county public general hospital from the
19 county's general revenues in the fiscal year of the county
20 ending September 30, 1991. Any county as defined in s.
21 125.011(1) which has a population of at least 1.8 million
22 residents shall disburse the funds defined in this paragraph
23 in the following manner:
24 1. Sixty-five percent shall be promptly remitted to
25 the public health trust, agency, or authority responsible for
26 the county public general hospital.
27 2. Thirty-five percent shall be promptly remitted to a
28 public health authority or agency that is wholly independent
29 from the public health trust, agency, or authority responsible
30 for the county public general hospital.
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Florida Senate - 2000 SB 802
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1 (e) The public health authority or agency as described
2 in subparagraph (d)2. shall adopt and implement a health care
3 plan for indigent health care services. The plan shall include
4 the following provisions:
5 1. The plan and subsequent amendments to it shall fund
6 a broad range of health care services for both indigent
7 persons and the medically poor, including, but not limited to,
8 primary care and preventive care as well as hospital care.
9 Where consistent with these objectives, the plan shall
10 include, without limitation, services rendered by physicians,
11 clinics, community hospitals, mental health centers, and
12 alternative delivery sites, as well as at least one regional
13 referral hospital where appropriate. The plan shall provide
14 that agreements negotiated between the county and providers
15 will include reimbursement methodologies that take into
16 account the cost of services rendered to eligible patients,
17 recognize hospitals that render a disproportionate share of
18 indigent care, provide other incentives to promote the
19 delivery of charity care to draw down federal funds where
20 appropriate, and require cost containment, including, but not
21 limited to, case management. The plan must also provide that
22 any hospitals owned and operated by government entities on or
23 after the effective date of this act must, as a condition of
24 receiving funds under this subsection, afford public access
25 equal to that provided under s. 286.011 as to any meeting of
26 the governing board the subject of which is budgeting
27 resources for the retention of charity care, as that term is
28 defined in the rules of the Agency for Health Care
29 Administration. The plan shall also include innovative health
30 care programs that provide cost-effective alternatives to
31 traditional methods of service and delivery funding.
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Florida Senate - 2000 SB 802
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1 2. The plan's benefits shall be made available to all
2 county residents currently eligible to receive health care
3 services as indigents or medically poor as defined in
4 paragraph (4)(d).
5 3. Eligible residents who participate in the health
6 care plan shall receive coverage for a period of 12 months or
7 the period extending from the time of enrollment to the end of
8 the current fiscal year, per enrollment period, whichever is
9 less.
10 Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2000.
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13 SENATE SUMMARY
14 Revises provisions that require the counties authorized
to levy the county public hospital surtax to annually
15 appropriate a specified minimum amount for operation,
administration, and maintenance of the county public
16 general hospital. Provides procedures for the
disbursement of funds by certain counties. Requires a
17 public health authority or agency in such a county to
adopt and implement a health care plan for indigent
18 health care services. Specifies provisions of the plan.
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