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                                                       PRINTER'S NO. 612

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE BILL

No. 542 Session of 2007


        INTRODUCED BY TANGRETTI, CALTAGIRONE, COHEN, CURRY, DePASQUALE,
           FABRIZIO, FREEMAN, GEORGE, GERGELY, GRUCELA, HENNESSEY,
           JAMES, KING, KOTIK, MAHONEY, MICOZZIE, PALLONE, SOLOBAY,
           STABACK, WHEATLEY, WOJNAROSKI, YOUNGBLOOD, YUDICHAK AND
           SIPTROTH, MARCH 6, 2007

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES,
           MARCH 6, 2007

                                     AN ACT

     1  Providing for the Health Care Responsibility Report; and
     2     imposing duties on the Department of Health and the
     3     Department of Public Welfare.

     4     The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     5  hereby enacts as follows:
     6  Section 1.  Short title.
     7     This act shall be known and may be cited as the Pennsylvania
     8  Health Care Responsibility Report Act.
     9  Section 2.  Legislative findings.
    10     The General Assembly finds that:
    11         (1)  The increasing cost of health care presents a
    12     tremendous obstacle for Pennsylvanians attempting to obtain
    13     access to affordable health care coverage.
    14         (2)  There have been continued reports that private
    15     employers have found it increasingly difficult to provide
    16     adequate and affordable health care benefits for their


     1     employees.
     2         (3)  The process of finding ways to expand options for
     3     affordable health care coverage to more Pennsylvanians
     4     requires a better understanding of the population that is
     5     unable to obtain this coverage on their own and must rely on
     6     State-funded public health access programs.
     7         (4)  Acquiring quality data about this population is
     8     critical to ensuring that sound decisions can be reached
     9     about the ways to expand affordable health care options to
    10     Pennsylvanians.
    11         (5)  Taxpayers would be better served if the Commonwealth
    12     implemented a procedure to facilitate statistical analysis of
    13     Pennsylvania employees' health care and participation in
    14     public health access programs, specifically Medicaid.
    15  Section 3.  Definitions.
    16     The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
    17  have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
    18  context clearly indicates otherwise:
    19     "Public health access program beneficiary."  A person who
    20  receives medical assistance or medical benefits or a person who
    21  receives health care services that qualify as free care.
    22  Section 4.  Pennsylvania Health Care Responsibility Report.
    23     Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the Secretary of
    24  Health shall annually prepare a public health access program
    25  beneficiary report.
    26  Section 5.  Report information.
    27     (a)  General rule.--The Pennsylvania Health Care
    28  Responsibility Report shall provide the following information
    29  for each employer of 50 or more public health access
    30  beneficiaries:
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     1         (1)  The name and address of the employer.
     2         (2)  The number of public health access program
     3     beneficiaries who are employees of the employer, listed as a
     4     raw total and listed as a percentage of the qualified
     5     employer's Pennsylvania work force.
     6         (3)  The number of public health access program
     7     beneficiaries who are spouses or dependents of employees of
     8     the employer, listed as a raw total and listed as a
     9     percentage of the qualified employer's Pennsylvania work
    10     force.
    11         (4)  Information on whether the reported public health
    12     access program beneficiaries are full-time or part-time
    13     employees.
    14         (5)  Information on whether the employer offers health
    15     insurance benefits to full-time and part-time employees,
    16     their spouses and their dependents.
    17         (6)  Information on whether employees receive health
    18     insurance benefits through the company when some or all of
    19     the premiums for such health insurance benefits are paid for
    20     by public health access programs.
    21         (7)  The cost to the Commonwealth of providing public
    22     health access program benefits for the employer's employees
    23     and enrolled dependents listed as total cost and per capita
    24     cost.
    25         (8)  The report shall make industry-wide comparisons by
    26     sorting employers into industry categories based on available
    27     information from the Department of Economic Development.
    28     (b)  Multiple employers.--If it is determined that a public
    29  health care access program beneficiary has more than one
    30  employer, the Secretary of Health shall count the beneficiary as
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     1  a portion of one person for each employer for purposes of this
     2  report.
     3     (c)  Exceptions.--The report shall not include the names of
     4  any individual public health access program beneficiaries and
     5  shall be subject to privacy standards.
     6  Section 6.  Annual report.
     7     (a)  General rule.--The Pennsylvania Health Care
     8  Responsibility Report shall be submitted annually on February 1
     9  to the President pro tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the
    10  House of Representatives and the chair of the Public Health and
    11  Welfare Committee of the Senate and the chair of the Health and
    12  Human Services Committee of the House of Representatives.
    13     (b)  Public viewing.--The report shall be made available for
    14  public viewing on the Department of Health Internet website, and
    15  any member of the public shall have the right to request and
    16  receive a printed copy of the report published under this
    17  resolution through the Department of Health.
    18  Section 7.  Policies and procedures.
    19     The Department of Health and the Department of Public Welfare
    20  shall implement policies and procedures to acquire information
    21  required by the Pennsylvania Health Care Responsibility Report.
    22  Section 8.  Effective date.
    23     This act shall take effect in 60 days.





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