HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 SSB 5431

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                         Health Care

Title:  An act relating to rural health care.

Brief Description:  Repealing rural health care statutes.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Prentice and Hale; by request of Insurance Commissioner).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Health Care:  3/24/95, 3/31/95 [DPA].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report:  Do pass as amended.  Signed by 12 members:  Representatives Dyer, Chairman; Backlund, Vice Chairman; Hymes, Vice Chairman; Cody, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Campbell; Casada; Conway; Crouse; Kessler; Morris; Sherstad and Skinner.

Staff:  Charlie Gavigan (786-7340).

Background:  In 1990, statutes were enacted to enable small rural health care service arrangements to obtain licenses from the state Insurance Commissioner.  Applicants were required to demonstrate minimum financial standards set by statute. The time period for this licensing provision ended on September 1, 1990.  No companies are presently organized under this chapter.    

The Health Personnel Resource Plan was enacted in 1991 to address health personnel shortages.  The plan is prepared on a biennial basis by a consortium of six state agencies.

Summary of Amended Bill:  The rural health care statutes under the state Insurance Commissioner are repealed.  The special demographic, economic and geographic concerns of rural communities relating to available, affordable health care services are described.  The Department of Health is authorized to set up a rural health care committee to study rural health issues and report to the Legislature by December, 1995.

The Health Personnel Resource Plan is repealed.

The Health Services Commission, or its successor agency, is required to establish a health care professional information data system which shall identify the type, number, and location of health care professionals working in the state, and create a centralized inventory of applications, matriculations, and graduations from all health care training programs in the state in vocational-technical training, community colleges, and four-year colleges and universities.

The functions of implementing the state-wide nursing plan are transferred to the Higher Education Coordinating Board.  The Higher Education Coordinating Board is required to consider data from the Health Care Professional Information Data System in operating the health professions scholarship and forgivable loan program.

The Department of Health shall cease its work on "Health Care Workforce 2000" and either reallocate the funds from the Pew commission grant for use in childhood immunization or return the funds to the Pew commission.

Information gathered through this act shall not be used to change or recommend change to the scope of practice.

Amended Bill Compared to Substitute Bill:  The amendment repeals the Health Personnel Resource Plan, establishes a health care professional information data system, and makes other changes.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date of Amended Bill:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  None.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  None.