Chapter 378

2007 -- H 6053

Enacted 07/06/07

A N A C T

RELATING TO HUMAN SERVICES - PUBLIC OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES

Introduced By: Representatives Costantino, Slater, Diaz, and Almeida

Date Introduced: March 01, 2007

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

     SECTION 1. Section 40-8.4-18 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-8.4 entitled "Health

Care For Families" is hereby amended to read as follows:

40-8.4-18. Public health access beneficiary employer report. -- The department of

human services shall annually prepare a public health access beneficiary employer report. A

"public health access program beneficiary" means any person who receives medical benefits from

RIte Care, RIte Share, or Medicaid. Any applicant for public health benefits through RIte-Care,

RIte Share, and/or Medicaid shall identify the employer or the employers of the proposed

beneficiary of the health care benefits. The report shall provide the following information for

each employer of two hundred fifty (250) fifty (50) or more public health access beneficiaries:

      (1) the name and address of the employer;

      (2) the number of public health access program beneficiaries who are employees of the

employer;

      (3) the number of public health access program beneficiaries who are spouses or

dependents of employees of the employer;

      (4) whether the employer offers health benefits to its employees;

      (5) whether the employer participates in the RIte Share program; and

      (6) the cost to the state of Rhode Island for providing public health access benefits to

their employees and enrolled dependents.

      In determining whether the two hundred fifty (250) fifty (50) employee threshold is met,

the department of human services shall include all public health access program beneficiaries

employed by the employer and their subsidiaries throughout the state. The report shall not include

the names of any individual public health access program beneficiaries and shall be subject to

privacy standards pursuant to Public Law 104-91, and the Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act of 1996. The report shall be submitted annually on the third Tuesday in

January to the joint committee on health care oversight, the house finance committee, and the

senate finance committee.

     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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LC02290

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