Back to Minnesota

SF5047 • 2026

Uncompensated care relief programs establishment

Uncompensated care relief programs establishment

Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Wiklund
Last action
2026-04-09
Official status
Introduction and first reading
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The plain English breakdown is still being put together. The official documents below are already here.

Bill History

  1. 2026-04-09 House

    Introduction and first reading

Official Summary Text

Uncompensated care relief programs establishment

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
A bill for an act

relating to health; establishing uncompensated care relief programs; authorizing

rulemaking; appropriating money; amending Laws 2025, First Special Session

chapter 3, article 23, section 3, subdivision 2; proposing coding for new law in

Minnesota Statutes, chapter 144.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin

[144.5911] HOSPITAL UNCOMPENSATED CARE RELIEF PROGRAM.

new text end

new text begin

Subdivision 1.

new text end

new text begin

Establishment.

new text end

new text begin

The commissioner of health must establish a hospital

uncompensated care relief program to provide financial relief to hospitals that experience

a disproportionate level of uncompensated care.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 2.

new text end

new text begin

Definitions.

new text end

new text begin

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the

meanings given.

new text end

new text begin

(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of health.

new text end

new text begin

(c) "Qualifying hospital" means a hospital:

new text end

new text begin

(1) licensed under section 144.50;

new text end

new text begin

(2) located within the state; and

new text end

new text begin

(3) that has filed a Medicare cost report in the Healthcare Cost Report Information

System.

new text end

new text begin

(d) "Qualifying uncompensated episode of care" means the provision by a qualifying

hospital of one or more services that are covered under medical assistance to an individual

during a single patient encounter or episode of care when the:

new text end

new text begin

(1) individual is not enrolled in medical assistance, MinnesotaCare, or Medicare and

does not have other health coverage;

new text end

new text begin

(2) individual is determined to be ineligible for medical assistance and MinnesotaCare

for the date of service following any retroactive eligibility determination; and

new text end

new text begin

(3) total cumulative reimbursement amount for the services provided, if paid under

medical assistance payment methodologies, would be at least $5,000 but not more than

$50,000.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 3.

new text end

new text begin

Application for payments.

new text end

new text begin

(a) A qualifying hospital seeking payment under

this section must submit to the commissioner documentation identifying qualifying

uncompensated episodes of care within a reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

(b) The reporting periods are:

new text end

new text begin

(1) January 1 through June 30; and

new text end

new text begin

(2) July 1 through December 31.

new text end

new text begin

(c) For services provided during the January 1 through June 30 reporting period, a

qualifying hospital must submit the required documentation to the commissioner by

September 15 of the same calendar year.

new text end

new text begin

(d) For services provided during the July 1 through December 31 reporting period, a

qualifying hospital must submit the required documentation to the commissioner by March

15 of the next calendar year.

new text end

new text begin

(e) Qualifying hospitals must submit documentation in a form and manner specified by

the commissioner and must provide supporting documentation as requested by the

commissioner.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 4.

new text end

new text begin

Calculation of payments.

new text end

new text begin

(a) For each reporting period, the commissioner

must determine each qualifying hospital's share of the total value of qualifying

uncompensated episodes of care submitted under subdivision 3.

new text end

new text begin

(b) The commissioner must distribute payments proportionally based on each qualifying

hospital's share of the statewide total.

new text end

new text begin

(c) A qualifying hospital must not receive more than ten percent of the money available

for a reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

(d) If money remains after the payment limitation in paragraph (c), the commissioner

must redistribute the remaining money among qualifying hospitals that have not reached

the limit in paragraph (c) in proportion to their share of the value of qualifying

uncompensated episodes of care.

new text end

new text begin

(e) The commissioner may establish procedures by rulemaking to reconcile adjustments,

corrected claims, or late submissions in a subsequent reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 5.

new text end

new text begin

Distribution of payments.

new text end

new text begin

(a) One half of the annual appropriation for this

program must be allocated to each reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

(b) For the January 1 through June 30 reporting period, the commissioner must distribute

payments no later than November 1 of the same calendar year.

new text end

new text begin

(c) For the July 1 through December 31 reporting period, the commissioner must

distribute payments no later than May 1 of the next calendar year.

new text end

Sec. 2.

new text begin

[144.5912] COMMUNITY-BASED SAFETY NET PROVIDER

UNCOMPENSATED CARE RELIEF PROGRAM.

new text end

new text begin

Subdivision 1.

new text end

new text begin

Establishment.

new text end

new text begin

The commissioner of health must establish a

community-based safety net provider uncompensated care relief program to provide financial

relief to community-based safety net providers that experience a disproportionate level of

uncompensated care.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 2.

new text end

new text begin

Definitions.

new text end

new text begin

(a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the

meanings given.

new text end

new text begin

(b) "Commissioner" means the commissioner of health.

new text end

new text begin

(c) "Qualifying community-based safety net provider" means a:

new text end

new text begin

(1) federally qualified health center under section 145.9269, subdivision 1;

new text end

new text begin

(2) certified community behavioral health clinic under section 245.735; or

new text end

new text begin

(3) community mental health center under section 256B.0625, subdivision 5.

new text end

new text begin

(d) "Qualifying uncompensated episode of care" means the provision by a qualifying

community-based safety net provider of one or more services that are covered under medical

assistance to an individual during a single patient encounter or episode of care when the:

new text end

new text begin

(1) individual is not enrolled in medical assistance, MinnesotaCare, or Medicare and

does not have other health coverage;

new text end

new text begin

(2) individual is determined to be ineligible for medical assistance and MinnesotaCare

for the date of service following any retroactive eligibility determination; and

new text end

new text begin

(3) total cumulative reimbursement amount for the services provided, if paid under

medical assistance payment methodologies, would be at least $200 but not more than $2,000.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 3.

new text end

new text begin

Application for payments.

new text end

new text begin

(a) A qualifying community-based safety net

provider seeking payment under this section must submit to the commissioner documentation

identifying qualifying uncompensated episodes of care within the reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

(b) The reporting periods are:

new text end

new text begin

(1) January 1 through June 30; and

new text end

new text begin

(2) July 1 through December 31.

new text end

new text begin

(c) For services provided during the January 1 through June 30 reporting period, a

qualifying community-based safety net provider must submit the required documentation

to the commissioner by September 15 of the same calendar year.

new text end

new text begin

(d) For services provided during the July 1 through December 31 reporting period, a

qualifying community-based safety net provider must submit the required documentation

to the commissioner by March 15 of the next calendar year.

new text end

new text begin

(e) Qualifying community-based safety net providers must submit documentation in a

form and manner specified by the commissioner and must provide supporting documentation

as requested by the commissioner.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 4.

new text end

new text begin

Calculation of payments.

new text end

new text begin

(a) For each reporting period, the commissioner

must determine each qualifying community-based safety net provider's share of the total

value of qualifying uncompensated episodes of care submitted under subdivision 3.

new text end

new text begin

(b) The commissioner must distribute payments proportionally based on each qualifying

community-based safety net provider's share of the statewide total.

new text end

new text begin

(c) A qualifying community-based safety net provider must not receive more than ten

percent of the money available for a reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

(d) If money remains after the payment limitation in paragraph (c), the commissioner

must redistribute the remaining money among qualifying community-based safety net

providers that have not reached the limit in paragraph (c) in proportion to the

community-based safety net provider's share of the value of qualifying uncompensated

episodes of care.

new text end

new text begin

(e) The commissioner may establish procedures by rulemaking to reconcile adjustments,

corrected claims, or late submissions in a subsequent reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

Subd. 5.

new text end

new text begin

Distribution of payments.

new text end

new text begin

(a) One half of the annual appropriation for this

program must be allocated to each reporting period.

new text end

new text begin

(b) For the January 1 through June 30 reporting period, the commissioner must distribute

payments no later than November 1 of the same calendar year.

new text end

new text begin

(c) For the July 1 through December 31 reporting period, the commissioner must

distribute payments no later than May 1 of the next calendar year.

new text end

Sec. 3.

Laws 2025, First Special Session chapter 3, article 23, section 3, subdivision 2, is

amended to read:

Subd. 2.

Rural EMS Uncompensated Care Pool

Payment Program

$4,291,000 in fiscal year 2026 and
deleted text begin
$4,291,000
deleted text end
new text begin

$.......
new text end
in fiscal year 2027 are for the rural EMS

uncompensated care pool payment program

under Minnesota Statutes, section
144E.55
.

These appropriations are available until June

30, 2029. The general fund base for this

appropriation is $1,070,000 in fiscal year

2028, $1,070,000 in fiscal year 2029,

$3,791,000 in fiscal year 2030, and $3,791,000

in fiscal year 2031. The health care access

fund base for this appropriation is $2,721,000

in fiscal year 2028, $2,721,000 in fiscal year

2029, and $0 in fiscal year 2030.

Notwithstanding section 8, Minnesota Statutes,

section
16B.98, subdivision 14
, applies to this

subdivision.

Sec. 4.
new text begin
APPROPRIATIONS.
new text end

new text begin

(a) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to the commissioner

of health for the hospital uncompensated care relief program under section 144.5911.

new text end

new text begin

(b) $....... is appropriated in fiscal year 2027 from the general fund to the commissioner

of health for the community-based safety net provider uncompensated care relief program

under section 144.5912.

new text end