New Hampshire officials and the state's hospitals have worked out a deal on uncompensated care payments, according to a Concord Monitor report.
Here are five things to know about the deal:
1. The seven-year agreement was negotiated by New Hampshire Senate President Chuck Morse, R-Salem, and others.
2. It comes after a district court ruling issued in March that voided a 2017 federal rule. The ruling, which CMS has appealed, essentially determined New Hampshire and other states inappropriately applied to hospitals a federal formula used to determine uncompensated care payments, Concord Monitor reports.
3. The ruling forced New Hampshire to set aside more money—as much as $36 million more in fiscal year 2018 and $37 million in fiscal year 2019—not previously anticipated in its budget. The new deal includes lesser amounts: $22.1 million in fiscal year 2018 and $22.5 million in fiscal year 2019, according to the report.
4. The Concord Monitor reports the the state and hospitals also have found a new uncompensated care funding formula. Under the new uncompensated care funding formula, New Hampshire will pay hospitals about 90 percent of the Medicaid enhancement taxes they pay annually, according to the report. A federal match then doubles the payments. A slightly more complex formula will begin in fiscal year 2020.
5. New Hampshire GOP Gov. Chris Sununu is expected to sign the seven-year agreement, which is part of New Hampshire's omnibus spending bill, according to the report.
Read the Concord Monitor's full report here.
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