Hospital licensing-moratorium.

WORKING DRAFT
2014
STATE OF
WYOMING
14LSO-0351

SENATE FILE
NO.
SF0105

Hospital licensing-moratorium.

Sponsored by:
Senator(s) Craft and Scott and Representative(s) Davison, Filer and Wilson

A BILL

for

AN ACT relating to hospital licensing; providing for a temporary moratorium on new hospital licensing; providing for a study, report and legislative recommendations; providing for review of the moratorium and hospital access
issues
by an interim committee as specified;

providing for a sunset date on the moratorium; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1.

W.S. 35
‑
2
‑
913 is created to read:

35
‑
2
‑
913.

Licensing moratorium.

(a)

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this chapter, the department shall not issue a new license under
this act for the period April 1, 2014 through March 31, 2015. Licenses issued prior to April 1, 2014 and which are not expired or under revocation or suspension, may be renewed annually as provided in this chapter.

(b)

This section is repealed effective March 31, 2015.

Section 2.

(a)

The department of health shall conduct a study to determine the amount of cost shifting resulting from hospitals' participation in the Medicare
,
Medicaid
and Tricare
programs and hospitals' bad debts or charity care.

(b)

For purposes of this study, cost shifting shall be defined as any increased amount included in the hospital bills of private pay or privately insured patients that is attributable to the hospital's participation in the Medicare
,
Medicaid
or Tricare
program, or to the hospital's charity care and bad debts.

(c)

In conducting the study pursuant to this section, the department shall use its own data and readily available
data. Data from other states or national data shall not be the basis for the study unless that data can be adjusted for actual Wyoming Medicare and Medicaid payment rates.

(d)

The department shall make an interim progress report of its study to the
joint labor, health and social services interim committee
by December 1, 2014, with a final report by October 1, 2015. The final report shall include any recommended statutory changes to the hospital licensure statutes.

(e)

The joint labor, health and social services interim committee shall review current standards for hospital licensing in Wyoming and the effect of federal health care reform on patient access to hospitals
. The committee
shall submit any legislative proposals to continue or modify standards for hospital licensing in the state before the 2016 budget session of the Wyoming legislature.

Section
3
.

This act is effective immediately upon completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming Constitution.

(END)

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SF0105