Maryland 2022 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB1243 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	hb1243
6	6
7	7	HOUSE BILL 1243
8	8	J1 2lr3065
9	9
10	10	By: Delegate Howard
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 11, 2022
12	12	Assigned to: Health and Government Operations
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Public Health – Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of establishing the Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation 3
21	21	Program; and generally relating to the Rural Nonemergency Medical Transportation 4
22	22	Program. 5
23	23
24	24	BY adding to 6
25	25	Article – Health – General 7
26	26	Section 13–4401 through 13–4405 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 44. Rural 8
27	27	Nonemergency Medical Transportation Program” 9
28	28	Annotated Code of Maryland 10
29	29	(2019 Replacement Volume and 2021 Supplement) 11
30	30
31	31	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
32	32	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
33	33
34	34	Article – Health – General 14
35	35
36	36	SUBTITLE 44. RURAL NONEMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. 15
37	37
38	38	13–4401. 16
39	39
40	40	(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE ME ANINGS 17
41	41	INDICATED. 18
42	42
43	43	(B) “ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL ” MEANS AN INDIVIDUAL WHO: 19
44	44
45	45	(1) DOES NOT QUALIFY TO R ECEIVE STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING 20
46	46	FOR TRANSPORTATION R ELATED TO RECEIVING MEDICAL SERVICES BEC AUSE THE 21
47	47	INDIVIDUAL: 22 2 HOUSE BILL 1243
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(I) RESIDES IN A LOC ATION THAT DISQUALIF IES THE 1
52	52	INDIVIDUAL FROM QUAL IFYING FOR THE FUNDI NG; 2
53	53
54	54	(II) OWNS A CAR; 3
55	55
56	56	(III) RECEIVED TRANSPORTATI ON FROM A VOLUNTEER , BUT 4
57	57	THE INDIVIDUAL NO LO NGER HAS ACCESS TO T HAT TRANSPORTATION ; 5
58	58
59	59	(IV) HAD A MEDICAL PROCEDU RE THAT DOES NOT QUA LIFY THE 6
60	60	INDIVIDUAL FOR THE FUNDING; 7
61	61
62	62	(V) HAS A TEMPORARY DISAB ILITY THAT DOES NOT QUALIFY 8
63	63	THE INDIVIDUAL FOR THE FUNDING; OR 9
64	64
65	65	(VI) DOES NOT LIVE WITHIN THE REQUIRED DISTANC E OF A 10
66	66	PUBLIC BUS STOP TO Q UALIFY THE INDIVIDUA L FOR THE FUNDING ; 11
67	67
68	68	(2) NEEDS TRANSPORTATION TO OR FROM MEDICAL S ERVICES 12
69	69	WHERE EACH TRIP EITH ER BEGINS OR ENDS IN A RURAL COUNTY ; AND 13
70	70
71	71	(3) A HOSPITAL CARE COORDI NATOR DETERMINES HAS A MEDICAL 14
72	72	NEED FOR WHICH THE I NDIVIDUAL REQUIRES T RANSPORTATION SERVIC ES 15
73	73	THROUGH THE PROGRAM. 16
74	74
75	75	(C) “HOSPITAL” HAS THE MEANING STAT ED IN § 19–301 OF THIS ARTICLE. 17
76	76
77	77	(D) “HOSPITAL CARE COORDIN ATOR” MEANS AN EMPLOYEE OF A HOSPITAL 18
78	78	WHO COOR DINATES TRANSPORTATI ON RELATED TO MEDICA L SERVICES FOR 19
79	79	ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HIS SUBTITLE. 20
80	80
81	81	(E) “NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIO N” MEANS AN ORGANIZATIO N THAT: 21
82	82
83	83	(1) IS: 22
84	84
85	85	(I) DESCRIBED IN § 501(C)(3) OF THE INTERNAL REVENUE 23
86	86	CODE; AND 24
87	87
88	88	(II) EXEMPT FROM INCOME TA X UNDER § 501(A) OF THE 25
89	89	INTERNAL REVENUE CODE; AND 26
90	90
91	91	(2) PROVIDES TRANSPORTATI ON SERVICES TO ELIGI BLE 27
92	92	INDIVIDUALS THROUGH A PROGRAM ADOPTED BY A HOSPITAL. 28 HOUSE BILL 1243 3
93	93
94	94
95	95
96	96	(F) “PROGRAM” MEANS THE RURAL NONEMERGENCY MEDICAL 1
97	97	TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM. 2
98	98
99	99	(G) “RURAL COUNTY ” MEANS: 3
100	100
101	101	(1) ALLEGANY COUNTY; 4
102	102
103	103	(2) CALVERT COUNTY; 5
104	104
105	105	(3) CAROLINE COUNTY; 6
106	106
107	107	(4) CARROLL COUNTY; 7
108	108
109	109	(5) CECIL COUNTY; 8
110	110
111	111	(6) CHARLES COUNTY; 9
112	112
113	113	(7) DORCHESTER COUNTY; 10
114	114
115	115	(8) FREDERICK COUNTY; 11
116	116
117	117	(9) GARRETT COUNTY; 12
118	118
119	119	(10) HARFORD COUNTY; 13
120	120
121	121	(11) KENT COUNTY; 14
122	122
123	123	(12) QUEEN ANNE’S COUNTY; 15
124	124
125	125	(13) SOMERSET COUNTY; 16
126	126
127	127	(14) ST. MARY’S COUNTY; 17
128	128
129	129	(15) TALBOT COUNTY; 18
130	130
131	131	(16) WASHINGTON COUNTY; 19
132	132
133	133	(17) WICOMICO COUNTY; OR 20
134	134
135	135	(18) WORCESTER COUNTY. 21
136	136
137	137	13–4402. 22 4 HOUSE BILL 1243
138	138
139	139
140	140
141	141	(A) THERE IS A RURAL NONEMERGENCY MEDICAL TRANSPORTATION 1
142	142	PROGRAM. 2
143	143
144	144	(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE PROGRAM IS FOR HOSPITALS TO COORDINATE 3
145	145	TRANSPORTATION PROVIDED BY A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON TO OR FROM 4
146	146	MEDICAL SERVICES FOR ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS . 5
147	147
148	148	13–4403. 6
149	149
150	150	(A) A PROGRAM ADOPTED UNDER THIS SUBTITLE SHALL : 7
151	151
152	152	(1) COORDINATE TRANSPORTA TION PROVIDED BY A NONPROFIT 8
153	153	ORGANIZATION FOR AN ELIGIBLE INDI VIDUAL TO TRAVEL TO OR FROM MEDICAL 9
154	154	SERVICES; 10
155	155
156	156	(2) INCLUDE A MONTHLY BUDGET SET B Y EACH NONPROFIT 11
157	157	ORGANIZATION PARTICIPATING IN A PROGRAM ADOPTED BY A HOSPITAL 12
158	158	ESTABLISHING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF TRANSPORTATION SERVI CES THE 13
159	159	ORGANIZATION WILL PROVIDE TO ELIG IBLE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PATIENTS AT 14
160	160	THE HOSPITAL THROUGH THE PROGRAM; AND 15
161	161
162	162	(3) PROVIDE INFORMATION T O A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION ABOUT 16
163	163	ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS THAT THE CARE COORDINATOR HAS SELECTED TO RECE IVE 17
164	164	TRANSPORTATION SERVI CES THROUGH THE PROGRAM IN A MANNER THAT 18
165	165	COMPLIES WITH STATE AND FEDERAL PRI VACY LAWS. 19
166	166
167	167	(B) A PROGRAM MAY NOT PROVIDE TRAN SPORTATION: 20
168	168
169	169	(1) TO AN ELIGIBLE INDIVI DUAL FOR MORE THAN 120 DAYS AT A 21
170	170	TIME; OR 22
171	171
172	172	(2) TO AN INDIVIDUAL WHO REQUESTS TRANSPORTAT ION BUT DOES 23
173	173	NOT USE THE TRANSPORTATION PROVI DED ON MORE THAN ONE OCC ASION. 24
174	174
175	175	13–4404. 25
176	176
177	177	(A) A HOSPITAL MAY ADOPT A PROGRAM IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HIS 26
178	178	SUBTITLE. 27
179	179
180	180	(B) IF A HOSPITAL ADOPTS A PROGRAM, THE HOSPITAL SHALL: 28
181	181	HOUSE BILL 1243 5
182	182
183	183
184	184	(1) CONTRACT WITH A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON TO PROVIDE 1
185	185	TRANSPORTATION TO ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE PATIENTS AT THE HOSPITAL 2
186	186	IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HIS SUBTITLE; AND 3
187	187
188	188	(2) ESTABLISH AND ADOPT A PROCESS OF NOTIFYING PATIENTS AT 4
189	189	THE HOSPITAL ABOUT S ERVICES AVAILABLE TH ROUGH THE PROGRAM. 5
190	190
191	191	(C) A HOSPITAL CARE COORDI NATOR SHALL: 6
192	192
193	193	(1) DETERMINE WHICH PATIE NTS OF THE HOSPITAL WHO ARE 7
194	194	INTERESTED IN RECEIV ING TRANSPORTATION S ERVICES THROUGH THE PROGRAM 8
195	195	ARE ELIGIBLE INDIVID UALS; 9
196	196
197	197	(2) DETERMINE WHICH ELIGI BLE INDIVIDUALS WILL RECEIVE 10
198	198	TRANSPORTATION THROU GH THE PROGRAM IN ACCORDANCE WITH T HE BUDGET 11
199	199	PROVIDED BY THE NONP ROFIT ORGANI ZATION; AND 12
200	200
201	201	(3) COORDINATE TRANSPORTA TION FOR AN ELIGIBLE INDI VIDUAL 13
202	202	WHO THE HOSPITAL CAR E COORDINATOR SELECT S TO RECEIVE TRANSPORTATION 14
203	203	TO TRAVEL TO AND FRO M RECEIVING MEDICAL SERVICES IN ACCORDANCE WITH 15
204	204	THIS SUBTITLE. 16
205	205
206	206	(D) IF A HOSPITAL ENTERS INTO A CONTRACT WITH A NONPROFIT 17
207	207	ORGANIZATION FOR THE PURPOSES OF PROVIDING TRANSPORTA TION THROUGH 18
208	208	THE PROGRAM, A HOSPITAL SHALL REPOR T THE NAME AND CONTACT INFORMAT ION 19
209	209	OF THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON TO THE DEPARTMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS AFTER 20
210	210	THE DATE ON WHICH TH E CONTRACT IS SIGNED . 21
211	211
212	212	13–4405. 22
213	213
214	214	(A) IN FISCAL YEAR 2024 AND EACH FISCAL YEAR THEREAFTER , THE 23
215	215	GOVERNOR SHALL INCLUD E IN THE ANNUAL BUDG ET BILL AN APPROPRIA TION OF 24
216	216	AT LEAST $1,000,000 TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE PU RPOSES OF CARRYING OUT 25
217	217	THIS SUBTITLE. 26
218	218
219	219	(B) EACH FISCAL YEAR , THE DEPARTMENT SHALL DIST RIBUTE THE FUND S 27
220	220	APPROPRIATED UNDER S UBSECTION (A) OF THIS SECTION: 28
221	221
222	222	(1) TO EACH NONPROFIT ORGANIZATI ON THAT PROVIDES SERVICES 29
223	223	THROUGH THE PROGRAM, AS REPORTED UNDER § 13–4404(D) OF THIS SUBTITLE; 30
224	224	AND 31
225	225	6 HOUSE BILL 1243
226	226
227	227
228	228	(2) IN AN AMOUNT PROPORTI ONAL TO THE NONPROFIT 1
229	229	ORGANIZATION ’S ESTIMATED ANNUAL BUDGET FOR PROVIDING TRANSPORTATION 2
230	230	UNDER THE PROGRAM. 3
231	231
232	232	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 4
233	233	October 1, 2022. 5