NHHA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE


May 20, 2005
 

MEDICAID BUDGET

Earlier this week, HHS Commissioner John Stephen proposed deep cuts in Medicaid payments to hospitals. These are the same cuts that were restored by the House last month: outpatient hospital payments - $16 million; medical education - $7.7 million; and catastrophic payments - $5 million. NHHA and DHMC told the Senate Finance Committee to stop the ongoing dismantling of the current hospital payment system, in favor of adopting a more systematic and predictable method. DHMC’s Dr. Worth Parker and Gina Balkus explained that Medicaid payment for graduate medical education pays for services provided by medical residents in communities throughout New Hampshire for patients who would otherwise have nowhere to go for their medical care. Representatives of NHHA and hospitals will meet May 23rd with the Commissioner to work on alternatives.


MEDICAL LIABILITY

SB 214 is still in the House Judiciary Committee where work sessions continue on the pretrial panel bill. In order to achieve meaningful reform, the final version of SB 214 must include three provisions: mandatory panels, appropriate standard of proof, and unanimous panel findings admissible at trial. SB 214 will encourage quicker settlements thus lowering legal costs. Medical liability premium rates will stabilize thereby making it easier to attract physicians to New Hampshire and keep them from leaving the state.

The Senate HHS Committee voted to recommend passage of HB 514, which establishes the NH Health Care Quality Assurance Commission to review and analyze information concerning medical errors. This bill will be voted on by the full Senate next week.

The Senate approved legislation allowing doctors to apologize to a victim for injuries suffered from a medical procedure without having the apology be admitted as evidence against the physician. HB 584, passed earlier this year by the House of Representatives, makes statements of sympathy or compassion relating to the pain, suffering, or death of the patient inadmissible as evidence of an admission of liability in a medical injury action.
 

SMALL GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE REFORM

This week the Senate Insurance Committee recommended to kill the House version of small group health insurance reform, while the House Commerce Committee continues working on the Senate’s version – SB 125. The Committee heard from two health insurers that are new to the state, MVP Health Care and Patriot HealthCare, that the elimination of medical underwriting as a health insurance rating factor will not prevent new insurance companies from offering health insurance to small employers in NH.




Go to http://www.nhha.org/nhha/state_law/bills.php to view the list of bills NHHA will be tracking in 2005.  Additional bills will be added as we become aware of them.