LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD Austin, Texas FISCAL NOTE, 77th Regular Session March 26, 2001 TO: Honorable Elliott Naishtat, Chair, House Committee on Human Services FROM: John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board IN RE: HB2906 by Eiland (Relating to the imposition of an additional fee on nursing and convalescent homes for the purpose of allowing the state to increase reimbursement rates to the homes under the state Medicaid program and to qualify for more federal Medicaid funds.), As Introduced ************************************************************************** * Estimated Two-year Net Impact to General Revenue Related Funds for * * HB2906, As Introduced: an impact of $0 through the biennium * * ending August 31, 2003. * * * * The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal * * basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions of * * the bill. * ************************************************************************** General Revenue-Related Funds, Five-Year Impact: **************************************************** * Fiscal Year Probable Net Positive/(Negative) * * Impact to General Revenue Related * * Funds * * 2002 $0 * * 2003 0 * * 2004 0 * * 2005 0 * * 2006 0 * **************************************************** All Funds, Five-Year Impact: *************************************************************************** *Fiscal Probable Probable Probable Probable * * Year Revenue Savings/(Cost) Revenue Savings/(Cost) * * Gain/(Loss) from General Gain/(Loss) from Federal * * from General Revenue Fund from Federal Funds - Federal * * Revenue Fund 0001 Funds - Federal 0555 * * 0001 0555 * * 2002 $185,000,000 $(185,000,000) $280,000,000 $(280,000,000) * * 2003 189,000,000 (189,000,000) 284,000,000 (284,000,000) * * 2004 193,000,000 (193,000,000) 290,000,000 (290,000,000) * * 2005 197,000,000 (197,000,000) 296,000,000 (296,000,000) * * 2006 200,000,000 (200,000,000) 300,000,000 (300,000,000) * *************************************************************************** Fiscal Analysis The bill would amend Subchapter B, Chapter 242, Health and Safety Code, by adding Section 242.0341, Quality Assurance Fee. The bill would require that each institution, for which a license fee must be paid under Section 242.034, be assessed a quality assurance fee. The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) or the Texas Department of Human Services (DHS) at the direction of the Commission would collect the fee. The fee may be appropriated only for the purposes of the paying the cost of administering provisions of the bill and increasing rate of reimbursement paid to institutions under the state Medicaid Program. The Quality Assurance Fee would be assessed on each licensed institution at a rate equal to six percent of the institution's gross receipts from its operations in Texas. The fee would be payable monthly, in addition to other fees imposed under Chapter 242 of the Health and Safety Code, and would be an allowable cost for reimbursement under the state Medicaid program. Section 242.0341 provides the quality assurance fee may not be imposed and collected, and the department is not required to adopt rules under Subsection (d) or enforce rules already adopted under that subsection, if the commission (HHSC) determines the imposition of the fee and the expenditure as prescribed by this section of amounts collected would not entitle the state to receive additional federal funds under the Medicaid program. Methodology The HHSC estimate stated either HHSC or DHS would collect and distribute the fee and HHSC or DHS would likely have to add staff and associated administrative support. The HHSC estimated administrative costs to be $1.0 million annually with a one-time technology cost of $100,000 in FY 2002. The HHSC did not include an estimate of staff and administrative support positions that would be needed pursuant to the bill. The HHSC estimated General Revenues generated would be between $185.0 million in FY 2002 to $200.0 million in FY 2006. The HHSC assumed that because provisions of the bill require the General Revenue funds generated be used for rate reimbursements to nursing facilities, the State would use the General Revenue funds to draw down additional Medicaid funds. The Commission estimated these additional federal funds to be between $280 to $300 million for FY 2002 through 2006, respectively. The Health and Human Services Commission assumes the additional State and federal funds would be allocated to the facilities, if appropriated, through a modeled rate during the first two years and incorporated into the cost reports using the cost report methodology subsequently. The Health and Human Services Commission assumes that, under this scenario, there would be no compounding effect of increased expenditures adopted through the cost report. Local Government Impact No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. Source Agencies: 324 Texas Department of Human Services, 501 Texas Department of Health, 529 Health and Human Services Commission, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts LBB Staff: JK, HD, KF, ML