Senate Bill No. 284–Committee on Human
Resources and Facilities

 

March 13, 2003

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Referred to Committee on Human Resources and Facilities

 

SUMMARY—Makes various changes concerning public hospitals. (BDR 40‑245)

 

FISCAL NOTE:  Effect on Local Government: No.

                           Effect on the State: No.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to health care; prohibiting a public hospital from charging a fee that is below the cost of providing a service to a patient who is not indigent; providing that certain information on costs for services provided by public hospitals is public; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1  Section 1. Chapter 450 of NRS is hereby amended by adding

1-2  thereto a new section to read as follows:

1-3  1.  Any fee, rate or charge for a service rendered by or

1-4  through a facility of a public hospital to a patient who is not

1-5  indigent must be equal to or greater than the total cost of the

1-6  service.

1-7  2.  Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a public

1-8  hospital shall make information concerning the total cost of a

1-9  service provided by a facility of the public hospital to a patient who

1-10  is not indigent public and open to inspection pursuant to the

1-11  provisions of NRS 239.010. A public hospital shall not make

1-12  public the name of, or other personal identifying information

1-13  about, a person pursuant to this subsection.

1-14      3.  As used in this section “total cost of the service” means the

1-15  full direct costs and allocated indirect costs associated with the

2-1  provision of the service consistent with generally accepted

2-2  accounting principles. These costs include, without limitation,

2-3  costs incurred for salaries, contract labor, employee benefits,

2-4  supplies, professional fees, repairs and maintenance, rents and

2-5  leases, utilities, insurance, bad debt, taxes and other operating

2-6  expenses.

2-7  Sec. 2.  NRS 450.010 is hereby amended to read as follows:

2-8  450.010  For the purposes of NRS 450.010 to 450.510,

2-9  inclusive, and section 1 of this act “taxpayers” include only citizens

2-10  of the United States of the age of 18 years and upward who, at the

2-11  time of filing their petition, are registered electors of the county in

2-12  which an election is proposed to be held and whose names appear

2-13  on the latest assessment roll of the county as owners of real or

2-14  personal property.

2-15      Sec. 3.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2003.

 

2-16  H