NHHA LEGISLATIVE UPDATE


December 5, 2005

SNEAK PREVIEW OF THE 2006 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

As the beginning of the 2006 legislative session nears, NHHA has identified those bills that impact hospitals. Though bills are not yet published, we've had a preview of several. Transparency is a common theme among a number of bills. Two such bills would require healthcare providers to post prices for their services. Another proposal would require hospitals to report hospital infection data to the State. The devil is in the detail, of which we’ll know much more once the bills are available.

In the meantime, we’ve identified the following bills that impact hospitals. Click here for a full listing of bill titles that NHHA will be tracking this coming session.


HEALTH CARE INFORMATION

Requiring hospitals to make the price of certain common procedures available
to the public (Quandt, R-Exeter)

Relative to healthcare and health insurance cost data (Kurk, R-Weare)

Establishing a commission to investigate cost drivers in providing health care (MacKay, R-Concord)

Relative to certain disclosures to the Dept of HHS (Quandt, R-Exeter)

Establishing an organ and tissue donor registry (Kenney, R-Union)

Relative to disclosure of the results of clinical trials (Barnes, R-Raymond)

Relative to the compensation paid to directors or officers of a charitable trust (Hagan, R-Manchester)


HEALTH INSURANCE

Relative to health insurance rate changes (Fuller Clark, D-Portsmouth)

Relative to health insurance coverage for part-time college students (Moran, R-Bedford)

Relative to certain insurance claims (Francoeur, R-Hampton)


HEALTH ACCESS

Establishing a New Hampshire health access corporation, continually appropriating
a special fund, and allowing the healthy kids corporation to cover adults
(Schmidt, D-Dover)

Establishing a health care fund, appropriating a special fund, and requiring certain employers to report certain information to DHHS (Moody, D-Newmarket)


MEDICAL LIABILITY

Relative to medical malpractice insurance rates (Phinizy, D-Acworth)

Relative to subsidizing malpractice premiums for certain specialties (Burling D-Cornish)

Establishing a medical malpractice insurance study commission (Rowe, R-Amherst)

Commission to study the feasibility of forming self-insurance groups for medical malpractice (Mitchell, D-Jaffrey)


MEDICAID

Establishing a committee to study state Medicaid reimbursement (Buzzell, D-Berlin)

Relative to appropriations to the Dept of HHS for health care providers (Eaton, D-Stoddard)

Imposing a penalty on Medicaid providers who receive overpayments of state Medicaid funds (Martel, R-Manchester)


QUALITY & PATIENT SAFETY

Relative to reporting requirements concerning infections in hospitals (Pepino, R-Manchester)

Relative to elective angioplasty (Martel, R-Manchester)


WORKFORCE/PROFESSIONAL

Relative to an ARNP’s duty to warn of violent acts of patients (Martel, R-Manchester)

Establishing a right to work act which provides for freedom of choice on whether to join a labor union (Boyce, R-Alton; Wheeler, R-Milford)

Relative to criminal background checks for nurses (Martel, R-Manchester)

Relative to time required between mandatory shifts (Renzullo, R-Hudson)

 

Go to http://www.nhha.org/nhha/state_law/bills.php to view the list of bills NHHA will be tracking in 2005-2006.  Additional bills will be added as we become aware of them.

Click Here for the NH House and Senate Web Site