CERTIFICATION OF ENROLLMENT

ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 3079

Chapter 264, Laws of 2006

(partial veto)

59th Legislature
2006 Regular Session

BASIC HEALTH PLAN--MEDICAL ASSISTANCE--REPORTS

EFFECTIVE DATE: 6/7/06

Passed by the House March 8, 2006 Yeas 96 Nays 2 FRANK CHOPP ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives Passed by the Senate March 8, 2006 Yeas 46 Nays 1 BRAD OWEN ________________________________________ President of the Senate		CERTIFICATE I, Richard Nafziger, Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 3079 as passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on the dates hereon set forth. RICHARD NAFZIGER ________________________________________ Chief Clerk
Approved March 27, 2006, with the exception of section 3, which is vetoed. CHRISTINE GREGOIRE ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington		FILED March 27, 2006 - 3:55 p.m. Secretary of State State of Washington

_____________________________________________

ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 3079
_____________________________________________
AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
Passed Legislature - 2006 Regular Session

State of Washington

59th Legislature

2006 Regular Session

By House Committee on Appropriations (originally sponsored by Representatives Conway, Cody, Sells, Dickerson, Morrell, Simpson, Schual-Berke, Hasegawa, Chase and Santos)

READ FIRST TIME 02/08/06.

AN ACT Relating to health care services; adding a new section to chapter 70.47 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 74.09 RCW; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 70.47 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The health care authority, in coordination with the department of social and health services, shall by November 15th of each year report to the legislature:
     (a) The number of basic health plan enrollees who: (i) Upon enrollment or recertification had reported being employed, and beginning with the 2008 report, the month and year they reported being hired; or (ii) upon enrollment or recertification had reported being the dependent of someone who was employed, and beginning with the 2008 report, the month and year they reported the employed person was hired; and (iii) the total cost to the state for these enrollees. The information shall be reported by employer for employers having more than fifty employees as enrollees or with dependents as enrollees. This information shall be provided for the preceding January and June of that year.
     (b) The following aggregated information: (i) The number of employees who are enrollees or with dependents as enrollees by private and governmental employers; (ii) the number of employees who are enrollees or with dependents as enrollees by employer size for employers with fifty or fewer employees, fifty-one to one hundred employees, one hundred one to one thousand employees, one thousand one to five thousand employees and more than five thousand employees; and (iii) the number of employees who are enrollees or with dependents as enrollees by industry type.
     For each aggregated classification, the report will include the number of hours worked and total cost to the state for these enrollees. This information shall be for each quarter of the preceding year.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 74.09 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The department of social and health services, in coordination with the health care authority, shall by November 15th of each year report to the legislature:
     (a) The number of medical assistance recipients who: (i) Upon enrollment or recertification had reported being employed, and beginning with the 2008 report, the month and year they reported being hired; or (ii) upon enrollment or recertification had reported being the dependent of someone who was employed, and beginning with the 2008 report, the month and year they reported the employed person was hired. For recipients identified under (a)(i) and (ii) of this subsection, the department shall report the basis for their medical assistance eligibility, including but not limited to family medical coverage, transitional medical assistance, children's medical or aged or disabled coverage; member months; and the total cost to the state for these recipients, expressed as general fund-state, health services account and general fund-federal dollars. The information shall be reported by employer for employers having more than fifty employees as recipients or with dependents as recipients. This information shall be provided for the preceding January and June of that year.
     (b) The following aggregated information: (i) The number of employees who are recipients or with dependents as recipients by private and governmental employers; (ii) the number of employees who are recipients or with dependents as recipients by employer size for employers with fifty or fewer employees, fifty-one to one hundred employees, one hundred one to one thousand employees, one thousand one to five thousand employees and more than five thousand employees; and (iii) the number of employees who are recipients or with dependents as recipients by industry type.
     For each aggregated classification, the report will include the number of hours worked, the number of department of social and health services covered lives, and the total cost to the state for these recipients. This information shall be for each quarter of the preceding year.

*NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 If specific funding for the purpose of this act, referencing this act by bill or chapter number, is not provided by June 30, 2006, in the omnibus appropriations act, this act is null and void.
*Sec. 3 was vetoed. See message at end of chapter.

         Passed by the House March 8, 2006.
         Passed by the Senate March 8, 2006.
         Approved by the Governor March 27, 2006, with the exception of certain items that were vetoed.
         Filed in Office of Secretary of State March 27, 2006.

     Note: Governor's explanation of partial veto is as follows:

     "I am returning, without my approval as to Section 3, Engrossed Substitute House Bill No. 3079 entitled:

     "AN ACT Relating to health care services."

     I support ESHB 3079, an act providing information about our Basic Health Plan and Medical Assistance programs. I am, however, vetoing section 3 of this act, which includes an unnecessary null and void clause.

     In signing ESHB 3079, I express a cautionary note as to the interpretation of the reports that it requires to be developed. The employer information to be provided by the Health Care Authority (HCA) and the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) is not a requirement for enrollment or eligibility. Consequently, data contained in the reports will have been provided on a voluntary basis, and will be unverified. The two reports - an employer-specific report and an aggregated report - will originate from separate sources. Therefore, they will not be comparable. The reports will also be based on a point-in-time data collection and will therefore not reflect changes in employment status. These data limitations must be considered when interpreting the reports.

     It is equally important to note that the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) study due in July 2006 will report Basic Health employment status and employer information in more detail than the aggregated report required by this bill.

     It is my hope that the information collected and provided to the Legislature in accordance with ESHB 3079 will not be misconstrued to portray beneficiaries of our Basic Health and Medicaid programs in a negative light. These programs are designed to provide health care services to eligible, often working, enrollees. I am confident that they are meeting that intent.

     For these reasons, I have vetoed Section 3 of Engrossed Substitute House Bill No. 3079.

     With the exception of Section 3, Engrossed Substitute House Bill No. 3079 is approved."