SENATE BILL REPORT

                                   SHB 2574

        AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR, FEBRUARY 25, 1992

Brief Description:  Defining hospital in regard to self‑insurers.

SPONSORS: House Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by Representatives Jones, G. Cole, Heavey and Fuhrman; by request of Department of Labor & Industries)

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR

SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR

Majority Report:  Do pass. 

      Signed by Senators Matson, Chairman; Anderson, Vice Chairman; McCaslin, McMullen, Moore, Murray, and Skratek.

Staff:  Dave Cheal (786‑7576)

Hearing Dates: February 25, 1992

BACKGROUND:

Under the state industrial insurance system, certain hospital employees may be covered through one of two self-insurance groups, one for public hospitals and one for private hospitals.  The definition of "hospital" for the purpose of authorizing these groups refers to a statute that was repealed in 1990 when the Washington State Hospital Commission was repealed.

SUMMARY:

The authority for hospitals to form industrial insurance self-insurance groups is amended by deleting the reference to a repealed definition of "hospital."  A new definition is added that includes hospitals under the hospital licensing statute and hospitals regulated as psychiatric hospitals, but excludes beds used by a comprehensive cancer center for cancer research.  A reference is deleted that limited the self-insurance group for non-public hospitals to not-for-profit hospitals.

Appropriation:  none

Revenue:  none

Fiscal Note:  available

TESTIMONY FOR:

The bill removes a reference to a repealed statute and clarifies hospitals' continued authority to form groups to qualify as self-insurers.  There is no cost and no reduction or expansion of authority.

TESTIMONY AGAINST:  None

TESTIFIED:  Brett Buckley, Department of Labor and Industries (pro)