Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that appropriates funds to acute care hospitals for uncompensated charity care, effective July 1, 2015.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $2 million from the state budget to the Uncompensated Charity Care Account to be distributed on quarterly basis to “acute care hospitals” to reduce the hospital’s cost for “uncompensated charity care” (Secs. 1& 2).

• Defines “acute care hospital” as a hospital that provides acute patient care, including a critical access hospital that meets the requirements of the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to be designated as a critical access hospital (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that “acute care hospital” does not include a hospital that does not have a full-time emergency room or a hospital that does not accept Medicaid (Sec. 1).

• Defines “uncompensated charity care” as hospital care for which an individual cannot “reasonably” be expected to pay for due to poverty (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the Wyoming Department of Health to promulgate rules and regulations to administer the fund, including but not limited to, the following rules (Sec. 1):
• Care reimbursements do not exceed available funds;
• Care reimbursements are limited to the necessary support of the poor; and
• Care reimbursements may not be simultaneously distributed from the Uncompensated Charity Care Account and Medicaid, or another third party payer.

• Authorizes the Wyoming Department of Health to ensure that each hospital reports their compensated charity care cost using the cost-to-charge ratio (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that funds for uncompensated charity care shall be distributed in the following manner (Sec. 1):
• Two-thirds of distributions shall be distributed to critical access hospitals; and
• One-third of the distributions shall be distributed to prospective payment system acute care hospitals.

• Establishes a grant program under the authority of the state auditor that can reimburse up to 75 percent or $200,000, whichever is less, to hospitals that meet the following conditions (Sec. 1):
• The hospital has 25 or fewer beds;
• The hospital provides uncompensated charity care; and
• The hospital did not have cash reserves to cover 100 days of operation from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014.

• Appropriates $1 million to the state auditor to provide grants to qualifying hospitals (Sec.2).

• Specifies that the provisions in this bill will be repealed on June 30, 2016 (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to adopt a conference report that appropriates funds to acute care hospitals for uncompensated charity care, effective July 1, 2015.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $2 million from the state budget to the Uncompensated Charity Care Account to be distributed on quarterly basis to “acute care hospitals” to reduce the hospital’s cost for “uncompensated charity care” (Secs. 1& 2).

• Defines “acute care hospital” as a hospital that provides acute patient care, including a critical access hospital that meets the requirements of the Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to be designated as a critical access hospital (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that “acute care hospital” does not include a hospital that does not have a full-time emergency room or a hospital that does not accept Medicaid (Sec. 1).

• Defines “uncompensated charity care” as hospital care for which an individual cannot “reasonably” be expected to pay for due to poverty (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes the Wyoming Department of Health to promulgate rules and regulations to administer the fund, including but not limited to, the following rules (Sec. 1):
• Care reimbursements do not exceed available funds;
• Care reimbursements are limited to the necessary support of the poor; and
• Care reimbursements may not be simultaneously distributed from the Uncompensated Charity Care Account and Medicaid, or another third party payer.

• Authorizes the Wyoming Department of Health to ensure that each hospital reports their compensated charity care cost using the cost-to-charge ratio (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that funds for uncompensated charity care shall be distributed in the following manner (Sec. 1):
• Two-thirds of distributions shall be distributed to critical access hospitals; and
• One-third of the distributions shall be distributed to prospective payment system acute care hospitals.

• Establishes a grant program under the authority of the state auditor that can reimburse up to 75 percent or $200,000, whichever is less, to hospitals that meet the following conditions (Sec. 1):
• The hospital has 25 or fewer beds;
• The hospital provides uncompensated charity care; and
• The hospital did not have cash reserves to cover 100 days of operation from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014.

• Appropriates $1 million to the state auditor to provide grants to qualifying hospitals (Sec.2).

• Specifies that the provisions in this bill will be repealed on June 30, 2016 (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates funds to acute care hospitals for uncompensated charity care, effective July 1, 2015.

Highlights:

• Specifies that if House Bill 163 is not enacted into law, a grant program shall be established under the authority of the state auditor that can reimburse up to 100 percent or $250,000, whichever is less, to hospitals that meet the following conditions (Sec. 1):
• The hospital has 25 or fewer beds;
• The hospital provides “uncompensated charity care;” and
• The hospital did not have cash reserves to cover either 100 or 200 days of operation from July 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014.

• Appropriates $1 million to the state auditor to provide grants to qualifying hospitals (Sec.2).

• Defines “uncompensated charity care” as hospital care for which an individual cannot “reasonably” be expected to pay for due to poverty (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the Uncompensated Charity Care Account to distribute funds on a quarterly basis to “acute care hospitals” to reduce the hospital’s cost for uncompensated charity care (Sec. 1).

• Defines “acute care hospital” as a licensed hospital that provides acute patient care, including a critical access hospital that meets the requirements of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to be designated as a critical access hospital (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that “acute care hospital” does not include a hospital that does not have a full-time emergency room, a hospital that does not accept Medicaid, or a hospital operated for profit (Sec. 1). 

• Requires the Wyoming Department of Health to promulgate rules and regulations regarding funds given to an acute care hospital, including, but not limited to, the following rules (Sec. 1):
• Care reimbursements do not exceed available funds;
• Care reimbursements are limited to the necessary support of the poor; and
• Care reimbursements may not be simultaneously distributed from the Uncompensated Charity Care Account and Medicaid, or another third party payer.

• Authorizes the department to ensure that each hospital reports their compensated charity care cost using the cost-to-charge ratio (Sec. 1). 

• Specifies that funds for uncompensated charity care shall be distributed in the following manner (Sec. 1):
• Two-thirds of distributions shall be distributed to critical access hospitals; and
• One-third of distributions shall be distributed to prospective payment system acute care hospitals.

• Requires the department to provide distributions to acute care hospitals for uncompensated charity care subject to the following conditions (Sec 1): 
• Distributions shall only be provided to hospitals that agree not to increase the wages of hospital executive management staff during the years in which the distribution is received; and
• Distributions shall not be used to pay the cost of construction or debt service.

• Specifies that the provisions of this bill shall be repealed on June 30, 2016 (Sec. 1). 

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates funds to acute care hospitals for uncompensated charity care, effective July 1, 2015.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $5 million from the state budget to the Uncompensated Charity Care Account to be distributed on a quarterly basis to “acute care hospitals” to reduce the hospitals’ cost for “uncompensated charity care” (Secs. 1 & 2).

• Defines “acute care hospital” as a licensed hospital that provides acute patient care, excluding hospitals that do not have a full time emergency room or do not accept Medicaid (Sec. 1).

• Defines “uncompensated charity care” as hospital care for which an individual cannot “reasonably” be expected to pay due to poverty (Sec. 1).
• Requires the Wyoming Department of Health to promulgate rules and regulations regarding funds given to an acute care hospital, including, but not limited to, the following rules (Sec. 1):
• Care reimbursements do not exceed available funds;
• Care reimbursements are limited to the necessary support of the poor; and
• Care reimbursements may not be simultaneously distributed from the Uncompensated Charity Care Account and Medicaid, or another third party payer.

• Authorizes the department to ensure that each hospital reports their compensated charity care cost using the cost-to-charge ratio (Sec. 1).

• Requires the department to calculate each hospital’s fractional share of the total uncompensated charity care funds based on the most recent Medicare cost report and distribute the funds accordingly (Sec. 1).

Full Bill Text