SENATE RESOLUTION No. 99

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

INTRODUCED JUNE 12, 1997

 

 

By Senators BASSANO and SINAGRA

 

 

A Senate Resolution memorializing the President and Congress of the United States to reject any federal budget proposal that includes a major reduction in Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals.

 

Whereas, The United States Congress has crafted a bipartisan     agreement to balance the federal budget over a five-year period by     reducing Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals by     approximately $25 billion; and

Whereas, The Governor of this State has written to the members of the United States Congress elected from the State to urge their reconsideration of this proposed reduction in disproportionate share payments in light of the number of New Jersey hospitals which would be adversely affected; and

Whereas, According to the New Jersey Hospital Association, 77 acute care hospitals and 11 public psychiatric and special hospitals in this State that serve low-income patients are eligible for these disproportionate share payments by virtue of the uncompensated care that they provide; and

Whereas, This State and its hospitals are renowned for their single-tiered system of providing health care services to the poor through a carefully constructed safety net program that recognizes the vital role of acute care provided by community-based and public psychiatric hospitals; and

Whereas, Reported data indicate that the number of hospital charity care patients in this State, which includes the indigent, the working poor and transient persons, has increased by nearly 30% since 1994, while annual State funding for hospital charity care has decreased by more than 40%; and

Whereas, The issue of State funding for hospital charity care will have to be addressed by the Governor and the Legislature prior to the scheduled expiration, on December 31, 1997, of the current statutory provisions for charity care funding, which rely upon 50% federal financial participation in the provision of Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals; and


Whereas, The hospitals and citizens of this State, as well as the Governor and the Legislature, are committed to protecting the statutorily guaranteed right of every patient to have access to hospital care and the provision of appropriate health care services regardless of a patient's ability to pay or source of payment; now, therefore,

 

    Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. This House memorializes the President and the Congress of the United States to reject any federal budget proposal that includes a major reduction in Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals.

 

    2. A duly authenticated copy of this resolution, signed by the President of the Senate, and attested by the Secretary of the Senate, shall be forwarded to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, and each member of the United States Congress elected from the State of New Jersey. 

STATEMENT

 

    This resolution memorializes the President and Congress of the United States to reject any federal budget proposal that includes a major reduction in Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals.

 

 

                             

Memorializes President and Congress to reject any budget proposal that includes a major reduction in Medicaid disproportionate share payments to hospitals.