Senate Bill 2128c1

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    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 2128

    By the Committee on Health, Aging and Long-Term Care; and
    Senator Saunders




    317-2165A-99

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to the Public Medical

  3         Assistance Trust Fund; requiring that a task

  4         force be appointed to review sources of revenue

  5         for the trust fund; providing for appointments

  6         of its members and specifying topics to be

  7         studied; providing for its staffing; providing

  8         for meetings; requiring a report and

  9         recommendations; providing an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  (1)  There is established a seven-member

14  task force to review sources of funds deposited into the

15  Public Medical Assistance Trust Fund as created by section

16  409.918, Florida Statutes. The task force shall consist of:

17         (a)  Two members appointed by the President of the

18  Senate, one of whom must be a member of the Senate and one of

19  whom must represent a hospital subject to the assessment

20  imposed under section 395.701, Florida Statutes, 1998

21  Supplement, or section 394.4786, Florida Statutes;

22         (b)  Two members appointed by the Speaker of the House

23  of Representatives, one of whom must be a member of the House

24  and one of whom must represent a health care entity subject to

25  the assessment imposed under section 395.7015, Florida

26  Statutes, 1998 Supplement;

27         (c)  Three members appointed by the Governor, one of

28  whom must be the Director of the Agency for Health Care

29  Administration, or his or her designee; one of whom must be a

30  medical doctor licensed to practice in the state; and one of

31  whom must be a consumer who has no employment or investment

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 2128
    317-2165A-99




  1  interest in any health care entity subject to the assessment

  2  imposed for deposit into the Public Medical Assistance Trust

  3  Fund and who is a representative of Florida TaxWatch.

  4         (2)  The Governor shall designate the task force chair

  5  from among the members.

  6         (3)  The task force shall consider and make specific

  7  recommendations concerning, but not limited to:

  8         (a)  Whether any provisions of sections 395.701,

  9  395.7015, and 409.918, Florida Statutes, need to be revised;

10         (b)  Whether the annual assessments imposed by these

11  statutes on the various health care entities are imposed

12  equitably;

13         (c)  Whether additional exemptions from, or inclusions

14  within, the assessments are justified;

15         (d)  The extent to which applicable federal regulations

16  and guidelines relating to provider assessments allow the

17  state any flexibility as to modifications of existing

18  assessments, including those modifications pending under

19  chapter 98-192, Laws of Florida; and

20         (e)  The extent to which modifications to other

21  statutory provisions that require deposit of specified revenue

22  into the Public Medical Assistance Trust Fund, including, but

23  not limited to, sections 210.20, 395.1041, 408.040, and

24  408.08, Florida Statutes, could result in increased revenue

25  for the trust fund.

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27  The task force shall provide an analysis of the budgetary

28  impact of any recommended exemptions from, inclusions within,

29  or modifications to existing assessments.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 1999                           CS for SB 2128
    317-2165A-99




  1         (4)  The Agency for Health Care Administration shall

  2  provide necessary staff support and technical assistance to

  3  the task force.

  4         (5)  The task force shall convene by August 1, 1999,

  5  for its first meeting, and shall submit its findings and

  6  recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the

  7  President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of

  8  Representatives, and the Governor by December 1, 1999.

  9         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

10  law.

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12          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
13                         Senate Bill 2128

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15  Replaces provisions containing language that exclude clinical
    laboratories and diagnostic imaging centers that are wholly
16  owned by one or more state-licensed physicians from assessment
    for the Public Medical Assistance Trust Fund with language
17  that creates a 7-member task force charged with reviewing the
    sources of funds deposited into the Public Medical Assistance
18  Trust Fund.

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