BE IT ENACTED BY THE TENNESSEE YMCA YOUTH IN GOVERNMENT:

Section 1: Definitions.

1. Hospital: A facility licensed as a hospital by the Tennessee Department of Health pursuant to T.C.A. Title 33, Chapter 1.
2. Municipality: For the purposes of this Act, a County of the State of Tennessee.
3. Targeted Municipality: A Municipality in which there is not a Hospital present within.
4. Original Reimbursement Rate: The rate of reimbursement for a certain procedure pursuant to the TennCare Rules and Regulations.
5. Provider: An individual or entity that is involved in the process of providing healthcare services to an individual.
6. Procedure: An action, course of action, or set of steps carried out by a Healthcare Professional on behalf of a Hospital to diagnose, remediate, or otherwise resolve, a problem of medical nature.
7. Covered Procedure: For a given Provider, the condition of a Procedure’s billed cost being paid pursuant to the documented Reimbursement Rate for a given Procedure by TennCare.
8. Hospital Population Coefficient: A number, for any given Municipality, that is:

1. No less than 1; and
2. Calculated to be inversely proportional to the hospital capacity in the given Municipality.

Section 2: Duty of Municipality Report.

1. At or before the beginning of each session of this Assembly, the various Municipalities of Tennessee are obligated to report to the Director of TennCare:

1. The results of a census of Hospitals and their respective capacities and other healthcare facilities within their borders, and
2. Their status as a Targeted Municipality.

Section 3: Direction to the Governor.

1. The governor, through the office of the Director of TennCare, is directed to:

1. amend the TennCare Rules and Regulations such that Providers operating in Targeted Municipalities are to be reimbursed the Original Reimbursement Rate for a given Covered Procedure times the Hospital Population Coefficient for a given Municipality;
2. perform a annual analysis of Hospital Population Coefficients for the various Targeted Municipalities, and if necessary, adjust them; and
3. from time to time, solicit the opinion of the General Assembly, expressed via special session or other similar means, on the configuration of the Hospital Population Coefficients for the various Targeted Municipalities.

Section 4: Conflicting Bills Repealed.

1. All laws or parts of laws in conflict with this Act are hereby repealed.

Section 5: Line Item.

1. Pursuant to the Hospital Population Coefficient determined in conjunction with the General Assembly, the Governor, and the Director of TennCare, any increase in state expenditure shall be provided for by the TennCare General Fund.

Section 6: Date of Effect.

1. This bill will take effect on the first day of the next Federal Fiscal Year, the public welfare requiring it.