The proposed bill amends the Health Care Consolidation Oversight Act to enhance the review process for transactions involving mergers, acquisitions, or changes in control of hospitals and certain health care provider organizations. It broadens the definition of "transaction" to include various forms of control changes and introduces whistleblower protections, enforcement mechanisms, and administrative penalties for violations. The bill mandates that the health care authority review proposed transactions, considering their impact on access to essential services, health care quality, and market competition, while ensuring public notification and comment opportunities. The authority is required to complete its review within 120 days and can approve, conditionally approve, or disapprove transactions based on their public health benefits and potential anti-competitive effects.

Additionally, the bill establishes a framework for assessing administrative fines for violations, allowing the secretary to impose fines of up to $5,000 for each violation, with increased penalties for willful violations. It includes provisions for handling failures to provide required notices of proposed transactions, which may incur additional fines, and mandates that collected fines be deposited into the state treasury for the benefit of the current school fund. The bill also enhances consumer protection and whistleblower rights, clarifying the attorney general's authority to protect consumers and maintain competitive markets, while requiring entities to adopt whistleblower protection policies and prohibiting retaliatory actions against whistleblowers. The effective date for the provisions of this act is set for July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
JC substitute: 59A-63-1, 59A-63-2, 59A-63-3, 59A-63-4, 59A-63-5, 59A-63-6, 59A-63-7, 59A-63-8
Final Version: 59A-63-1, 59A-63-2, 59A-63-3, 59A-63-4, 59A-63-5, 59A-63-6, 59A-63-7, 59A-63-8