Substitute Senate Bill No. 473
Substitute Senate Bill No. 473
PUBLIC ACT NO. 98-22
AN ACT CONCERNING FUNDING OF THE OFFICE OF HEALTH
CARE ACCESS.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
Section 1. Section 19a-631 of the general
statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof:
(a) As used in this section and section
19a-632, AS AMENDED BY THIS ACT, "hospital" means
each hospital subject to the provisions of this
chapter and licensed as a short-term acute-care
general hospital or a children's hospital or both
by the Department of Public Health.
(b) Each hospital shall annually pay to the
Commissioner of [Public Health] HEALTH CARE
ACCESS, for deposit in the General Fund, an amount
equal to its share of the actual expenditures made
by the office [which are accountable to the
functions of the office transferred from the
Commission on Hospitals and Health Care pursuant
to section 19a-612b] during each fiscal year
including the cost of fringe benefits for office
personnel as estimated by the Comptroller, the
amount of expenses for central state services
attributable to the office for the fiscal year as
estimated by the Comptroller, plus the
expenditures made on behalf of the office from the
Capital Equipment Purchase Fund pursuant to
section 4a-9 for such year. Payments shall be made
by assessment of all hospitals of the costs
calculated and collected in accordance with the
provisions of this section and section 19a-632, AS
AMENDED BY THIS ACT. IF FOR ANY REASON A HOSPITAL
CEASES OPERATION, ANY UNPAID ASSESSMENT FOR THE
OPERATIONS OF THE OFFICE SHALL BE REAPPORTIONED
AMONG THE REMAINING HOSPITALS TO BE PAID IN
ADDITION TO ANY OTHER ASSESSMENT.
Sec. 2. Section 19a-632 of the general
statutes is repealed and the following is
substituted in lieu thereof:
(a) On or before September first, annually,
the Office of Health Care Access shall determine
(1) the total net revenue of each hospital for the
most recently completed hospital fiscal year
beginning October first; and (2) the proposed
assessment on the hospital for the state fiscal
year. The assessment on each hospital shall be
calculated by multiplying the hospital's
percentage share of the total net revenue
specified in subdivision (1) of this subsection
times the costs of the office, [which are
accountable to the functions of the office
transferred from the Commission on Hospitals and
Health Care pursuant to section 19a-612b,] as
determined in subsection (b) of this section.
(b) The costs of the office shall be the
total of [that portion of] (1) the amount
appropriated for the operation of the office for
the fiscal year, (2) the cost of fringe benefits
for office personnel for such year, as estimated
by the Comptroller, (3) the amount of expenses for
central state services attributable to the office
for the fiscal year as estimated by the
Comptroller, and (4) the estimated expenditures on
behalf of the office from the Capital Equipment
Purchase Fund pursuant to section 4a-9 for such
year, [which are attributable to the functions of
the office transferred from the Commission on
Hospitals and Health Care pursuant to section
19a-612b,] provided for purposes of this
calculation the amount so appropriated plus the
cost of fringe benefits for personnel, the amount
of expenses for said central state services for
the fiscal year as estimated by the Comptroller,
and said estimated expenditures from the Capital
Equipment Purchase Fund pursuant to section 4a-9
shall be deemed to be the actual expenditures of
the office.
(c) On or before December thirty-first,
annually, for each fiscal year, each hospital
shall pay the office twenty-five per cent of its
proposed assessment, adjusted to reflect any
credit or amount due under the recalculated
assessment for the preceding state fiscal year as
determined pursuant to subsection (d) of this
section OR ANY REAPPORTIONED ASSESSMENT PURSUANT
TO SUBSECTION (b) OF SECTION 19a-631, AS AMENDED
BY THIS ACT. The hospital shall pay the remaining
seventy-five per cent of its assessment to the
office in three equal instalments on or before the
following March thirty-first, June thirtieth and
September thirtieth, annually.
(d) Immediately following the close of each
state fiscal year the commissioner shall
recalculate the proposed assessment for each
hospital based on the costs of the office in
accordance with subsection (b) of this section
using the actual expenditures made by the office
during that fiscal year and the actual
expenditures made on behalf of the office from the
Capital Equipment Purchase Fund pursuant to
section 4a-9. On or before July thirty-first,
annually, the [commissioner] OFFICE shall render
to each hospital a statement showing the
difference between the respective recalculated
assessment and the amount previously paid. On or
before August thirty-first, the commissioner,
after receiving any objections to such statements,
shall make such adjustments which in his opinion
may be indicated and shall render an adjusted
assessment, if any, to the affected hospitals.
Adjustments to reflect any credit or amount due
under the recalculated assessment for the previous
state fiscal year shall be made to the proposed
assessment due on or before December thirty-first
of the following state fiscal year.
(e) If any assessment is not paid when due, a
late fee of ten dollars shall be added thereto and
interest at the rate of one and one-fourth per
cent per month or fraction thereof shall be paid
on such assessment and late fee.
(f) The office shall deposit all payments
received pursuant to this section with the State
Treasurer. The moneys so deposited shall be
credited to the General Fund and shall be
accounted for as expenses recovered from
hospitals.
(g) For the hospital fiscal year commencing
October 1, 1993, and for subsequent fiscal years,
assessments made under this section, excluding any
interest or fee payable pursuant to subsection (e)
of this section, shall be included in the
computation of net and gross revenue caps for each
hospital.
Sec. 3. This act shall take effect July 1,
1998.
Approved April 29, 1998