Louisiana House Speaker Taylor Barras (R-New Iberia) filed legislation Tuesday that would allow the state to charge hospitals a fee to help pay for Medicaid expansion in Louisiana, according to The Times-Picayune.
Under the bill, House Concurrent Resolution 51, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals will examine two key figures: the state share of the cost of expanding Medicaid and revenues generated from all inpatient and outpatient services provided by Louisiana hospitals.
Under the legislation, hospitals will be required to pay either 5 percent of the state share of expanding Medicaid or 1 percent of patient service revenue, whichever dollar figure is less. The fee will be reassessed annually.
The Louisiana Hospital Association expressed support for the legislation.
"Louisiana hospitals are committed to supporting solutions, like HCR 51, that improve the stability of healthcare funding, protect patient services and ensure that high-quality care continues for everyone," Louisiana Hospital Association CEO Paul Salles told The Times-Picayune.
More articles on healthcare finance:
Banner Health operating income plummets 51.2%
139-year-old California hospital to close this month
CBO releases analysis of Obama's 2017 budget: 5 healthcare takeaways