Bill Text: NJ A1117 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires study of availability of certain health care services by independent entity.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health and Senior Services Committee [A1117 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-A1117-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ELEASE EVANS
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Prieto, Assemblywoman Tucker, Assemblyman Chiappone, Assemblywoman Rodriguez, Assemblymen Green and Giblin
SYNOPSIS
Requires study of availability of certain health care services by independent entity.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning a study of the availability of certain health care services in this State.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services shall contract with an independent entity to conduct a study of the availability to New Jersey residents of health care services provided by physicians in the following professional specialty categories: diagnostic radiology involving the performance of mammography; neurological surgery; obstetrics/gynecology; and family practice/general internal medicine.
b. For the purposes of the report, the independent entity shall examine the impact of at least the following economic factors upon the practice of physicians in the specialty categories designated in subsection a. of this section and the extent to which these factors may be limiting access to care in any or all of these specialty categories:
(1) third party payer reimbursement levels;
(2) the amount of, and rate of increase in, medical malpractice liability insurance premiums;
(3) the actual or perceived risk of being subjected to medical malpractice litigation, as it may affect how an individual conducts a professional practice and thereby how many patients have access to that individual's services;
(4) the amount of medical school loan indebtedness, as it may affect an individual's decision concerning the choice of professional specialty category in which to practice;
(5) other costs associated with operating a practice as applicable to each professional specialty category; and
(6) other costs attributable to more general economic factors, including, but not limited to, taxes, general inflation, and increases in health care costs.
c. No later than 24 months after contracting with the independent entity pursuant to subsection a. of this section, the commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, shall present to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a report of the findings of the independent entity, and shall accompany that report with any recommendations that the commissioner desires to make for legislative or other policy actions to address any findings of the report.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon the issuance of the report required pursuant to section 1 of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill provides for an independent study of the availability of health care services provided by physicians practicing in certain professional specialty categories in this State.
The bill provides specifically as follows:
· The Commissioner of Health and Senior Services is directed to contract with an independent entity to conduct a study of the availability to New Jersey residents of health care services provided by physicians in the following professional specialty categories: diagnostic radiology involving the performance of mammography; neurological surgery; obstetrics/gynecology; and family practice/general internal medicine.
· For the purposes of the report, the independent entity is to examine the impact of at least the following economic factors upon the practice of physicians in these specialty categories and the extent to which these factors may be limiting access to care in any or all of these specialty categories:
-- third party payer reimbursement levels;
-- the amount of, and rate of increase in, medical malpractice liability insurance premiums;
-- the actual or perceived risk of being subjected to medical malpractice litigation, as it may affect how an individual conducts a professional practice and thereby how many patients have access to that individual's services;
-- the amount of medical school loan indebtedness, as it may affect an individual's decision concerning the choice of professional specialty category in which to practice;
-- other costs associated with operating a practice as applicable to each professional specialty category; and
-- other costs attributable to more general economic factors, including, but not limited to, taxes, general inflation, and increases in health care costs.
· No later than 24 months after contracting with the independent entity, the commissioner, in consultation with the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, is to present to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), a report of the findings of the independent entity, and to accompany that report with any recommendations that the commissioner desires to make for legislative or other policy actions to address any findings of the report.
· The bill expires upon the issuance of the required report.
The study provided for under this bill was recommended in the September, 2007 report of the Medical Care Availability Task Force established pursuant to section 31 of the "New Jersey Medical Care Access and Responsibility and Patients First Act," P.L.2004, c.17.
