New Hampshire SB 136: relative to classification of students for tuition purposes in the university system.

Bill Text

SB 136-FN - AS INTRODUCED

2025 SESSION

 25-1137

 05/11

SENATE BILL 136-FN

AN ACT establishing an uncompensated care assessment, fund, and committee within the department of insurance.

SPONSORS: Sen. Altschiller, Dist 24; Sen. Fenton, Dist 10

COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services

-----------------------------------------------------------------

ANALYSIS

 This bill establishes an uncompensated health care fund to be administered by the department of insurance and assessed by a surcharge on commercial insurers, reinsurers, and trusts overseeing self-insured plans.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

 Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

 Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

 25-1137

 05/11

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Five

AN ACT establishing an uncompensated care assessment, fund, and committee within the department of insurance.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

 1 Statement of Findings and Purpose. 

 I. The general court recognizes that because a major contributor of uncompensated care costs to non-profit safety-net health care providers is related to practices of commercial health insurance carriers, an appropriate source of funding for an uncompensated health care fund is to assess a surcharge on commercial insurers. 

 II. Presuming commercial health insurers adjust benefit coverages and offer a broader array of medically necessary services in line with Medicaid, the level of uncompensated care should be reduced and the annual assessments may be lower. 

 2 New Section; Uncompensated Care Fund. Amend RSA 400-A by inserting after section 39-b the following new section: 

 400-A:39-c Uncompensated Health Care Fund, Assessment, and Advisory Committee. 

 I. There is hereby established in the state treasury an uncompensated health care fund, which shall be kept separate and distinct from all other funds. All moneys in the fund shall be nonlapsing and continually appropriated to the insurance department for the purposes of this section.

 II. The insurance department shall establish an uncompensated health care assessment charged to licensed health insurance carriers, reinsurers, and trusts overseeing self-insured plans in the state of New Hampshire. Self-insured plans subject to the assessment shall include the state of New Hampshire health plan; municipal self-insured health plans; any trust or association health plan registered in the state of New Hampshire; self-insured plans that contract for reinsurance services with New Hampshire-regulated carriers; and self-insured companies with more than 100 employees who contract with the state of New Hampshire. All such assessments collected by the department shall be deposited in the fund established in paragraph I.

 III. The commissioner shall establish an uncompensated health care advisory committee to recommend criteria for determining the annual level of uncompensated care to be funded through assessments as well as the allocation formulas for qualified non-profit safety net health care providers. 

 IV. Members of the uncompensated health care advisory committee shall include: 

 (a) Three representatives of health insurance carriers licensed in the state of New Hampshire.

 (b) Two representatives of community mental health centers, nominated by the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association.

 (c) Two representatives of community health centers, nominated by Bi-State Primary Care Association. 

 (d) Two representatives of substance use disorder providers, nominated by the governor.

 (e) One member of the state senate, appointed by the senate president.

 (f) One member of the state house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives. 

 (g) The commissioner of the department of health and human services, or designee.

 (h) Two public members, appointed by the commissioner. 

 V. The advisory committee shall be charged with advising the commissioner to ensure the assessment mechanism is consistent with RSA 404-G:1, VII. 

 VI. The costs of the uncompensated care plan assessment shall not be treated as recoverable costs by the carriers and shall not be passed on to individuals and employer groups through an add-on to premium costs or projected claims costs. 

 VII. A first-year assessment shall be collected from all health care insurance carriers and self-insured health plans listed in paragraph II, subject to the program and based on a per member, per month calculation. 

 VIII. The department shall establish an annual need for the program which takes into account the uncompensated care cost information gathered from qualified safety net prov