Amend the bill in section 4 in §6917 by striking out all of subsection 1 (page 1, lines 19 to 37 in L.D.) and inserting the following:
Amend the bill by striking out all of section 6 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 6. Changes to Dirigo Health. The Board of Trustees of Dirigo Health, or "the board," shall:
1. Develop products, procedures. Develop more affordable products and procedures that can reach uninsured and underinsured residents of the State to reduce uncompensated care;
2. Maximize federal initiatives. Seek to secure federal funding to support the Dirigo Health Program and the Maine Individual Reinsurance Association established in the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 24-A, chapter 54 and use subsidies to maximize federal initiatives, including Medicaid and any national health reform;
3. Asset tests. Establish an asset test for determining eligibility;
4. Voucher program. Consider offering a voucher-based program to provide health insurance benefits; and
5. Redesign. Redesign the DirigoChoice product or products, including adding a requirement that requires any new enrollees to be uninsured before enrolling in DirigoChoice.
The board shall report to the Joint Standing Committee on Insurance and Financial Services regarding changes that will be made to the Dirigo Health Program consistent with this section by January 1, 2010.’
Amend the bill by inserting after section 7 the following:
‘Sec. 8. Legislative commitment to funding. Notwithstanding the reduction in the amount of the access payment pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 24-A, section 6917, subsection 1, paragraph A beginning September 1, 2010, it is the intent of the Legislature that funding for Dirigo Health be provided through the General Fund as necessary to, at a minimum, maintain enrollment in Dirigo Health at the same level as enrollment on the effective date of this Act.
Sec. 9. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
DIRIGO HEALTH
Dirigo Health Fund 0988
Initiative: Adjusts funding to reflect the impact of replacing the savings offset payment with a new access payment to be paid by health insurance carriers, 3rd-party administrators and employee benefit excess insurance carriers of 2.14% on paid claims beginning September 1, 2009 and decreasing by 25% each year thereafter.
GENERAL FUND |
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
All Other
|
$0 |
$8,370,833 |
|
|
|
GENERAL FUND TOTAL |
$0 |
$8,370,833 |
DIRIGO HEALTH FUND |
2009-10 |
2010-11 |
All Other
|
$0 |
($8,370,833) |
|
|
|
DIRIGO HEALTH FUND TOTAL |
$0 |
($8,370,833) |
Sec. 10. Effective date. This Act takes effect October 1, 2009.’
summary
This amendment is the minority report of the committee. After the first year the access payment is implemented, it is reduced by 25% the 2nd year, 50% the 3rd year, 75% the 4th year and then eliminated. In addition to the duties included in the bill, the amendment directs the Board of Trustees of Dirigo Health to establish an asset test for eligibility, to require any new enrollees after the redesign of the DirigoChoice product to be uninsured before enrolling and to seek adequate federal funding to support the Dirigo Health Program and the Maine Individual Reinsurance Association.
The amendment expresses the Legislature’s intent that the funding provided to Dirigo Health pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 24-A, section 6917 be supplemented by the General Fund to maintain enrollment at the same level as on the effective date of the bill. The amendment also establishes an effective date of October 1, 2009. The amendment also adds an appropriations and allocations section.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)