Community Health Care Safety Net Act Of

Community Health Care Safety Net Act of 2004.

Why and how the access to health care and community health care safety net act of 2004 became a policy.

Formulation stage

The Community Health Care Access and Safety Net Act of 2005 was signed into law in May 2005. The bill ends a prolonged attempt to set up state support, for community based health wealth. The Act generates funds dedicated to society health. The Act forms a 5-year Community Health Resource Commission under the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

The Commission is arraigned with a number of responsibilities focused on the enrichment and growth of community-based resources and aid access to care in the most suitable scenario. The Community Health Care Access and Safety Net Act of 2005 have continually been of huge triumph. (Bill Information, 2005).

The Community Health Care Safety Net Act of 2004 was set off and studied primarily in the Parliament House on 13/02/2004 supported by 35 delegates of the house. It was read for the second time in 1/04/2004. It went through, accepted by 86 other delegates. The purpose of the Act was to do the following;

1. Launch the Maryland Community Health Resources Commission as an autonomous commission that purposes within the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene;

2. Ascertain the authority and obligations of the Commission; and to ensure it takes up definite policy on prior to a specified date;

3. Grant obligations, membership, requisites for membership, conference, and selection of leaders of the Commission;

4. Oblige the Commission to present a yearly statement to the officials;

5. To indicate that some rules of the Health and Mental Hygiene are not applicable to the Commission;

6. Call for the commission to employ specific information established by the Motor Vehicle

Community Health Care Safety Net Act of 2004.

Administration and others;

7. Involve the Commission in instituting a toll-free hotline;

8. Create a Program to admit funds in the Commission and its duties;

9. Initiating a Council, its duties and membership on Hospital and Community Health Resources; (Buhl, 2002).

10. Establishment of the Advisory Council its duties and membership;

11. Creating a Community Health Resources Commission Fund;

12. Oblige that revenue from a certain tax collected to be dispersed annually to the Fund;

13. Providing that grants awarded to community health resources from the Fund may be used for certain purposes;

14. Obliging certain insurance firms to disburse and compensate providers for services to the level obligatory under national law, and forbid discrimination;

15. Inflicting duty on health upholding associations;

16. Allowing an employer to claim a certain credit against the payroll tax;

17. prohibiting an employer from deducting the payroll tax from an employee’s wages; Requiring certain employers to pay the payroll tax on a periodic basis and to submit periodic reports to the Secretary of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation;

18. Permit employers to exempt some earnings from calculation of tax;

19. Requiring the Secretary of Labor, and the Cigarette Restitution Fund to implement policies and to disburse the proceeds from the payroll duty into Community Health Resources Commission Fund;

20. Necessitate the Medical Assistance Program to give specific health care services to some adults;

21. Creating and providing purpose for the Miniature Employer Health Insurance Program in the Commission;

22. Requiring the Commission to govern the Program as accepted by national law;

23. Permit the Commission to pact with a third party to oversee adopts and regulate and implement the Program;

24. Requiring the Commission to make certain studies and reports to the General Assembly on or before certain dates;

25. Establish a Multiparty Governmental Commission Force on Widespread Admission to excellent and reasonably priced Health Care;

26. Creating this Act, apart from certain provisions, subject to certain unforeseen contingent

events;

27. Defining certain vocabulary; and generally linking to access of health care. (Bill Information, 2005).

Legistlative stage

Community Health Care Safety Net Act of 2004.

The Bill went through the court proceedings, in the First reading the delegates supporting the bill read out the proposed content of the Bill just for the purpose of briefing the other delegates on the content, no debates nor did voting took place at this stage. The second reading the Bill was read out again and debates took place with no voting still. During the third reading casting of votes took place and 86 of the delegates voted yes and 54 voted for a yes.

The Bill was then passed to the committee for amendment and was adopted by 26 delegates. The motion was then read out on the same day and was rejected. Later in 2005 the Community Health Care Safety Nat Act was passed into law through a press release by the governor of Maryland. (Amey, 2005).

Implementation stage

The implementation stage in any process is usually the most difficult and if proper strategies are not put forward the process cannot be a success. In the implementation of this Act, the membership and the rules on membership take the upper hand since the commission cannot be run effectively and cannot meet its goals if it has poor leadership.

The commission is an autonomous commission. The rationale for the commission is to boost access to wellbeing care. The commission comprises of seven members chosen by the governor. Out of the seven members; four shall be persons who do not have any association with the administration or procedure of any community health resource.

A member’s term lapses after 4 years, but is subject to the commission on October 1, 2004. The periods of the primary members of the commission lapses as follows; two in 2005, 2007 and 2008 and one in 2006. Once a term comes to an end the member continues to serve until a descendant is appointed. After a member has served fro two consecutive terms, he may not be

Community Health Care Safety Net Act of 2004.

reappointed.

During appointment the governor ensures that there is no racialism and that there choice is balanced geographically. From the selected members the governor shall appoint a chairman who then appoints his own assistant or vice chairman. The commission then appoints an executive director who is approved by the governor. The executive director becomes the chief administrative director. He works under the commissions instructions and shall perform any responsibility that the commission needs. (Bill Information, 2005).

In order for the commission to decide on something at least four of the members should concur. Meeting of the commission should at least be six times in a year at avenue and time that is agreed upon. Every member is allowed a remuneration and reimbursement of costs in agreement with the financial plan. The commission may also employ required staff for necessary skills but also in agreement with the budget.

The commission will also be responsible for employment of staff responsible for organizing of grant claims. The commission, in agreement with the secretary, shall agree on the suitable job specifications and positions for all employees. Additional powers to the commission includes; the power to create committees form its members or other public and private organizations; submit applications for and acknowledge any funds, chattels, or services from any sources even the government; make contracts with grantors or financiers of funds.

The commission shall also come up with regulations and policies that relate to the businesses and the transactions that they will be dealing with inclusive of meetings, format for writing minutes; preparation of an annual budget that shows clearly figures of anticipated incomes and expenditures to facilitate effective governance and business. At the end of each year it is also essential that the commission will provide to the annual report to the general assembly.

Community Health Care Safety Net Act of 2004.

The commission shall launch a toll-free hotline, which shall establish a caller’s prospective eligibility for health care services; lend a hand to callers who have difficulty in filling up application forms; refer callers to a community health resource that their criteria falls and that is most convenient in terms of distance to where they reside or near their work place and rotate callers who have needs of a community health resource that is demanded by many, and to offer educational services and update persons of the accessibility and eligibility of community health resources and the criteria used for community health resources.( Bill Information, 2005),

References

Bent Flyvbjerg, Mette K. Skamris Holm, and Soren L. Buhl, (2002) Underestimating Costs in Public Works Projects: Error or Lie?" Journal of the American Planning Association, vol. 68, no. 3, Summer 2002, pp. 279-295. )

Bill Information (2005), Regular Session- HB 627 and HB 1263. http://mlis.state.md.us/2005rs/ billfile/hb0627.htm

Tevfik F. Nas, Cost-Benefit Analysis: Theory and Application (Thousand Oaks, Ca.: Sage, 1996).

Alice J. Neily and Betsy F. Amey. (2005). Report on the 2005 Legislative Session. Maryland Council of Social Work Organizations.