2024 -- S 2084 | |
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LC003469 | |
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND | |
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY | |
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2024 | |
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A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - CATASTROPHIC ILLNESS IN CHILDREN | |
RELIEF FUND | |
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Introduced By: Senators Lauria, Lawson, Valverde, Miller, Cano, DiMario, Murray, | |
Date Introduced: January 12, 2024 | |
Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services | |
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows: | |
1 | SECTION 1. Title 23 of the General Laws entitled "HEALTH AND SAFETY" is hereby |
2 | amended by adding thereto the following chapter: |
3 | CHAPTER 1.12 |
4 | CATASTROPHIC ILLNESS IN CHILDREN RELIEF FUND |
5 | 23-1.12-1. Definitions. |
6 | When used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise: |
7 | (1) "Catastrophic illness" means any illness or condition the medical expenses of which are |
8 | not covered by any other state or federal program or any insurance contract and exceed ten percent |
9 | (10%) of the first one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) of annual income of a family plus fifteen |
10 | percent (15%) of the excess income over one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000). |
11 | (2) "Child" means a person twenty-one (21) years of age and younger. |
12 | (3) "Commission" means the catastrophic illness in children relief fund commission. |
13 | (4) "Family" means a child and the child's parent, parents or legal guardian, as the case |
14 | may be, who is legally responsible for the child's medical expenses. |
15 | (5) "Fund" means the catastrophic illness in children relief fund. |
16 | (6) "Income" means all income, from whatever source derived, actually received by a |
17 | family. |
18 | (7) "Resident" means a person legally domiciled within the state for a period of three (3) |
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1 | months immediately preceding the date of application for inclusion in the program. Mere seasonal |
2 | or temporary residence within the state, of whatever duration, does not constitute domicile. |
3 | Absence from this state for a period of twelve (12) months or more is prima facie evidence of |
4 | abandonment of domicile. The burden of establishing legal domicile within the state is upon the |
5 | parent, parents or legal guardian of a child. |
6 | 23-1.12-2. Catastrophic illness in children relief fund. |
7 | (a) The catastrophic illness in children relief fund is hereby established as a nonlapsing, |
8 | revolving fund. The fund shall be administered by the commission, and shall be credited with |
9 | monies received pursuant to § 23-1.12-10. |
10 | (b) The general treasurer shall be custodian of the fund and all disbursements from the fund |
11 | shall be made by the treasurer upon vouchers signed by the chairman of the commission. The |
12 | monies in the fund shall be invested and reinvested by the treasurer as are other trust funds in the |
13 | custody of the general treasurer in the manner provided by law. Interest received on the monies in |
14 | the fund shall be credited to the fund. |
15 | 23-1.12-3. Catastrophic illness in children relief fund commission. |
16 | (a) There is hereby established in the executive department of the state government the |
17 | catastrophic illness in children relief fund commission composed of nine (9) members. The |
18 | commission shall consist of the director of the department of children, youth and families, the |
19 | director of the department of human services, the director of the department of business regulation, |
20 | the general treasurer, all of whom shall be members ex officio, and five (5) public members who |
21 | are residents of this state, appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the senate, for |
22 | terms of five (5) years, two (2) of whom to be appointed after consultation with the president of the |
23 | senate, with one of whom a provider of health care services to children in this state; and two (2) of |
24 | whom to be appointed after consultation with the speaker of the house of representatives, with one |
25 | of whom a provider of health care services to children in this state. The five (5) public members |
26 | initially appointed by the governor shall serve for terms of one, two (2), three (3), four (4) and five |
27 | (5) years, respectively, as designated by the governor. |
28 | (b) Each member shall hold office for the term of their appointment and until their |
29 | successor has been appointed and qualified. A member of the commission is eligible for |
30 | reappointment. |
31 | (c) Any vacancies in the membership of the commission occurring other than by the |
32 | expiration of a term shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment, but for the |
33 | unexpired term only. |
34 | (d) Each ex officio member of the commission may designate an officer or employee of |
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1 | the ex officio member's department to represent the member at meetings of the commission, and |
2 | each designee may lawfully act on behalf of the member as the designee. Any designation shall be |
3 | in writing delivered to the commission and filed with the office of the secretary of state and shall |
4 | continue in effect until revoked or amended in the same manner as provided for designation. |
5 | 23-1.12-4. Suspension and oaths. |
6 | Each member of the commission may be removed from office by the governor, for cause, |
7 | after a public hearing and may be suspended by the governor pending the completion of the hearing. |
8 | Each member of the commission before entering upon their duties shall take and subscribe to an |
9 | oath to perform the duties of the office faithfully, impartially and justly to the best of the member's |
10 | ability. A record of the oaths shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state. |
11 | 23-1.12-5. Officers and quorum. |
12 | (a) The members shall elect a chairperson who shall serve as chief executive officer of the |
13 | commission and shall be one of the public members of the commission. The commission shall by |
14 | rule determine the term of office of the chairperson and chief executive officer. The members shall |
15 | elect a secretary and a treasurer who need not be members of the commission and the same person |
16 | may be elected to serve both as secretary and treasurer. |
17 | (b) The powers of the commission are vested in the members thereof in office from time |
18 | to time and five (5) members of the commission shall constitute a quorum at any meeting thereof. |
19 | Action may be taken and motions and resolutions adopted by the commission at any meeting |
20 | thereof by the affirmative vote of at least five (5) members of the commission. A vacancy in the |
21 | membership of the commission shall not impair the right of a quorum to exercise all the powers |
22 | and perform all the duties of the commission. |
23 | (c) The members of the commission shall serve without compensation; provided, that the |
24 | commission shall reimburse its members for the reasonable expenses incurred in the performance |
25 | of their duties based upon the monies available in the fund. |
26 | (d) The commission shall be appointed within three (3) months after the effective date of |
27 | this chapter and shall organize as soon as may be practicable after the appointment of its members. |
28 | 23-1.12-6. Powers and duties. |
29 | The commission shall have, but is not limited to, the following powers and duties: |
30 | (1) Establish a program for the purposes of this chapter, administer the fund and authorize |
31 | the payment or reimbursement of the medical expenses of children with catastrophic illnesses; |
32 | (2) Establish procedures for application to the program, determining the eligibility for the |
33 | payment or reimbursement of medical expenses for each child, and processing fund awards and |
34 | appeals; |
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1 | (3) Establish procedures to provide that, in the case of an illness or condition for which the |
2 | family, after receiving assistance pursuant to this chapter, recovers damages for the child's medical |
3 | expenses pursuant to a settlement or judgment in a legal action, the family shall reimburse the fund |
4 | for the amount of assistance received, or that portion thereof covered by the amount of the damages |
5 | less the expense of recovery; |
6 | (4) Establish the amount of reimbursement for the medical expenses of each child using a |
7 | sliding fee scale based on a family's ability to pay for medical expenses which takes into account |
8 | family size, family income and assets and family medical expenses and adjust the financial |
9 | eligibility criteria established in the definition of catastrophic illness pursuant to § 23-1.12-1 based |
10 | upon the monies available in the fund; |
11 | (5) Disseminate information on the fund and the program to the public; |
12 | (6) Adopt bylaws for the regulation of its affairs and the conduct of its business, adopt an |
13 | official seal and alter the same at pleasure, maintain an office at the place within the state as it may |
14 | designate, and sue and be sued in its own name; |
15 | (7) Appoint, retain or employ staff, experts or consultants on a contract basis or otherwise, |
16 | who are deemed necessary, and employ investigators or other professionally qualified personnel as |
17 | may be within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to it to accomplish its |
18 | purposes; |
19 | (8) Maintain confidential records on each child who applies for assistance under the fund; |
20 | (9) Take all actions deemed necessary to implement the purposes of this chapter; and |
21 | (10) Adopt rules and regulations in accordance with chapter 35 of title 42 ("administrative |
22 | procedures"), necessary to effectuate the purposes of this chapter. |
23 | 23-1.12-7. Settlement of claims. |
24 | The commission is authorized to negotiate or settle a claim that the fund maintains for |
25 | reimbursement against a family who has received assistance for the medical expenses of a child |
26 | with a catastrophic illness pursuant to this chapter and has recovered damages in a legal action for |
27 | the child's medical expenses. Money recovered pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the |
28 | fund. |
29 | 23-1.12-8. Eligibility. |
30 | (a) A child who is a resident of this state is eligible, through the child's parent, parents or |
31 | legal guardian, to apply to the program established pursuant to § 23-1.12-6. |
32 | (b) In the event a family has more than one child with a catastrophic illness, as defined |
33 | pursuant to § 23-1.12-1, the commission shall waive the family responsibility, as established by |
34 | rule or regulation, for the other child if the family has met the family responsibility for the first |
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1 | child in a state fiscal year. |
2 | 23-1.12-9. Financial assistance. |
3 | Whenever a child has a catastrophic illness and is eligible for the program, the child, |
4 | through the child's parent, parents or legal guardian, shall receive financial assistance from monies |
5 | in the fund subject to the rules and regulations established by the commission and the availability |
6 | of monies in the fund. The financial assistance shall include, but is not limited to, payments or |
7 | reimbursements for the cost of medical treatment, hospital care, drugs, nursing care and physician |
8 | services. |
9 | 23-1.12-10. Annual surcharge per employee subject to the employer security act. |
10 | For the purpose of providing the monies necessary to establish and meet the purposes of |
11 | the fund, the commission shall establish a one dollar and fifty cent ($1.50) annual surcharge per |
12 | employee upon all employers who are subject to the employment security laws pursuant to chapters |
13 | 42, 43 and 44 of title 28. The surcharge shall be collected by the director of the department of |
14 | labor and training and paid over to the general treasurer for deposit in the fund annually as provided |
15 | by the commission. |
16 | 23-1.12-11. Rules and regulations. |
17 | The general treasurer shall adopt rules and regulations establishing procedures for the |
18 | collection of the surcharge contained in § 23-1.12-10. |
19 | 23-1.12-12. Annual reports. |
20 | (a) The commission shall report annually to the governor and to the committees of the |
21 | senate and house of representatives with responsibility for issues affecting children, health and |
22 | human services on the status of the program. The report shall include the following information: |
23 | (1) The number of participants in the program; |
24 | (2) Average expenditures per participant; |
25 | (3) The nature and type of catastrophic illnesses for which the fund provided financial |
26 | assistance; and |
27 | (4) The average income and expenditures of families who received financial assistance |
28 | under the program. |
29 | (b) The commission also may make recommendations for changes in the law and |
30 | regulations governing the fund to the general assembly as a portion of its report. |
31 | SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage. |
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LC003469 | |
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EXPLANATION | |
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL | |
OF | |
A N A C T | |
RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY - CATASTROPHIC ILLNESS IN CHILDREN | |
RELIEF FUND | |
*** | |
1 | This act would establish the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund to provide |
2 | financial assistance to families with children age twenty-one (21) years and younger stricken by a |
3 | catastrophic illness for medical expenses not covered by any other state or federal program or any |
4 | insurance contract. A nine (9) member commission would establish and administer a program to |
5 | achieve the purposes of the fund. |
6 | This act would take effect upon passage. |
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