The Healthcare Finance Enhancement Act introduces several amendments to the operation and licensing of health care services and facilities in New Jersey. Key provisions include the establishment of a centralized discharge planning system for health care facilities and adherence to federal standards where feasible. The bill also implements a new licensing fee structure, capping fees at $10,000 for hospitals and $4,000 for other health care facilities, while exempting certain surgical practices from initial and renewal fees. Additionally, the Department of Health is required to post inspection reports for residential health care facilities online to promote transparency regarding health and safety violations.

The act modifies the assessment structure for hospitals, maintaining a per adjusted admission charge of $10 until June 30, 2025, and increasing it to $12.50 thereafter, which will also apply to non-public psychiatric hospitals. It reduces the assessment rate on gross receipts for ambulatory care facilities from 2.95 percent to 2.5 percent starting in fiscal year 2026 and expands the assessment to include all ambulatory care facilities in fiscal year 2027, eliminating the previous exemption for surgical practices. These changes aim to enhance funding for health care services while ensuring a broader range of facilities contributes to the Health Care Subsidy Fund, ultimately improving the quality and accountability of health care services in New Jersey.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 26:2H-12, 26:2H-18.57