| (a) General. A political subdivision may claim a pro
rata share of the annual distribution based on its "unreimbursed health
care expenditures" in the previous calendar year. These expenditures
are defined in the agreement as "those actual expenditures made by
a political subdivision which are directly attributable to the provision
of health care services to the general public, either directly or
by contract or agreement with a third party provider, and for which
no reimbursement is made by or expected from any third party source
or fund. (Lump Sum Trust Account or Permanent Trust Account payments
shall not count as reimbursement.)" The term "unreimbursed expenditures"
does not include contractual allowances or discounts for health care
services required under a third party payor agreement.
(b) Counties not wholly within a hospital district.
For a county not wholly within a hospital district, the agreement
further states that unreimbursed expenditures are to be calculated
as "all unreimbursed amounts, including unreimbursed jail health care,
expended by such county for health care services to the general public
during that year, plus 15% of that total."
(1) The following are examples for which expenditures,
if unreimbursed, may be counted:
(A) services within the scope of services that hospital
districts are authorized by law to provide. These will typically be
diagnostic and treatment services for individuals;
(B) health care screening, laboratory, and health care
case management services;
(C) oral health care services;
(D) expenditures made from funds in a trust or reserve
account for the provision of health care services;
(E) health care outreach and prevention efforts, including
but not limited to media campaigns, education, counseling, and production
and distribution of promotional literature. Typical target areas for
these efforts include teenage smoking, child safety, and health hazards
affecting the general public;
(F) medical transportation, including transportation
to and from medical appointments;
(G) behavioral health care services, including a physician
examination to determine if an individual is in need of mental health
care;
(H) capital expenditures for direct health care services,
such as construction of ambulance facilities or clinics;
(I) overhead costs for a health care facility;
(J) employee salary and benefits to the extent the
employee is engaged in patient health care or other health care services
such as the activities described in subparagraph (E) of this paragraph;
(K) emergency medical services; and
(L) medical supplies or equipment used for the provision
of health care services to the general public.
(2) The following are examples for which expenditures
may not be counted:
(A) general administrative or overhead costs of the
county not directly related to the provision of health care services
such as costs of the county auditor, the county attorney or county
commissioner meetings. These general administrative costs are considered
to be included within the 15% added to the unreimbursed expenditures;
(B) administrative supplies or equipment not directly
related to the provision of health care services to the general public,
such as computer paper, printers and copier machines;
(C) amounts deposited in a trust or reserve account
for the provision of health care services but not actually expended
for such services;
(D) environmental services such as mosquito control,
water testing, septic tank inspection, and rabies control;
(E) rental assistance for mental health patients;
(F) time spent transporting inmates to and from court
procedures, such as continued mental health commitments and medication
hearings;
(G) the amount of a tax abatement given in exchange
for an agreement to provide health care services;
(H) regulatory activities such as restaurant inspection;
(I) 911 services;
(J) first responder services;
(K) autopsies, burials, and mortician services;
(L) meal donation programs; and
(M) services to the extent to which the county has
received reimbursement or funds through federal or state programs
including, but not limited to, county indigent health care, tertiary
medical care, emergency medical services grants, permanent fund for
children and public health grants, public health block grants, Title
XVIII of the Social Security Act (Medicare), Title XIX of the Social
Security Act (Medicaid), or crime victims compensation fund.
(3) If the county expects to receive reimbursement
or funds through federal or state programs, such as those listed in
paragraph (2)(J) of this subsection, but has not received reimbursement
or funds at the time the county files its annual expenditure statement
with the department:
(A) the county may include those expenditures which
qualify as unreimbursed expenditures under this subsection in its
annual expenditure statement filed with the department; and
(B) once the county receives reimbursement or funds
for the expenditures or any portion of the expenditures described
in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, the county shall subtract the
amount of the reimbursement or funds from the amount of unreimbursed
expenditures claimable on its next expenditure statement filed with
the department.
(c) Hospital districts. For a hospital district, the
agreement further states that unreimbursed expenditures are to be
calculated as "the total amount of taxes collected by the hospital
district, together with the unreimbursed amounts expended by a county
coterminous with such hospital district for jail health care."
(1) The expenditures are the amount of taxes collected
in the year for which the annual expenditure statement is filed, not
the amount of taxes assessed. A hospital district may count taxes
that are owed from previous years if those taxes are collected in
the year for which the annual expenditure statement is filed.
(2) A hospital district is entitled to claim the amount
of its tax collections as unreimbursed expenditures, even if it does
not own or operate a hospital.
(d) Non-hospital district public hospitals. For a non-hospital
district public hospital owned by a political subdivision, the agreement
further states that unreimbursed expenditures are to be calculated
as "the total unreimbursed amount of political subdivision funds paid
to such public hospital by any political subdivision during that year."
(1) As stated in subsection (a) of this section, unreimbursed
expenditures are defined in the agreement as "those actual expenditures
made by a political subdivision which are directly attributable to
the provision of health care services to the general public, either
directly or by contract or agreement with a third party provider,
and for which no reimbursement is made by or expected from any third
party source or fund. (Lump Sum Trust Account or Permanent Trust Account
payments shall not count as reimbursement)."
(2) Under this subsection, a political subdivision
may claim political subdivision funds actually paid to the hospital
owned by the political subdivision or transferred from a general revenue
account of a political subdivision into the hospital's account(s)
in order to provide funds for health care services to the general
public.
(3) A political subdivision may not claim political
subdivision funds paid under paragraph (2) of this subsection when
reimbursement is received by the hospital or political subdivision
from any third party source or fund. Reimbursed funds are not "unreimbursed
expenditures" under this subsection.
(4) The term "unreimbursed expenditures" does not include
contractual allowances or discounts for health care services under
a third party payor agreement.
(5) The annual distribution paid to a political subdivision
under this subsection shall be made to the political subdivision(s)
which owns the hospital, not to the hospital itself.
(6) A county eligible for a pro rata share of the annual
distribution under both subsection (b) and this subsection shall file
an expenditure statement for each. Such a county may receive a single
warrant from the comptroller.
(7) If a county or city handles the financial transactions
of its public hospital, rather than the public hospital handling those
transactions directly, the county or city may count the unreimbursed
expenditures it makes on behalf of the public hospital as funds paid
to that hospital.
(e) Political subdivisions that have sold or leased
a public health care facility.
Cont'd... |
