This bill establishes an Uncompensated Health Care Fund within the state treasury to support non-profit safety-net health care providers delivering medically necessary services to uninsured individuals. The fund will be financed through a surcharge on licensed health insurance carriers, reinsurers, and certain self-insured plans in New Hampshire, with the stipulation that these costs cannot be passed on to consumers or treated as recoverable costs by the carriers. The bill amends existing laws by inserting new sections into RSA 400-A and RSA 404-G, creating the fund and defining its purpose, funding mechanisms, and the responsibilities of an advisory committee that will recommend criteria for determining the annual level of uncompensated care to be funded.

The bill introduces new provisions for annual assessments related to "uncompensated care," defined as medically necessary care for uninsured individuals ineligible for government programs. Concerns have been raised regarding the ambiguous definition of "uncompensated care," which could discourage insurance coverage and increase financial burdens on health insurers. Additionally, the bill prohibits payors from passing assessment costs onto consumers, potentially reducing profit margins for health insurers and leading to their exit from the New Hampshire market. The implementation of the bill would require the Insurance Department to hire additional staff, resulting in increased expenditures, and could have significant financial and administrative implications for the state, affecting various funds and potentially increasing costs for state-provided health benefits.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 404-G:1, 404-G:2, 6:12