02/22/2010 01:30 PM Senate HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES

                SB 168-TRAUMA CARE CENTERS/FUND                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
1:32:05 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS announced consideration of SB 168.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:33:45 PM                                                                                                                    
REPRESENTATIVE  COGHILL  provided  an overview  of  the  committee                                                              
substitute (CS) for  SB 168. The CS contains  language that points                                                              
to the  alcohol tax as  a funding source to  be used, not  only to                                                              
help   fill  the   fund  itself,   but  to   help  match   federal                                                              
disproportionate  share  money  [Medicaid  disproportionate  share                                                              
hospital (DSH) payment adjustment program].                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
The  amendment to  the CS  removes the  word "uncompensated"  from                                                              
the title  and other  parts of  the CS.  According to  the state's                                                              
Medicaid official,  this will increase the state's  flexibility in                                                              
the use  of disproportionate  share money. Representative  Coghill                                                              
said he is comfortable with the amendment.                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:36:42 PM                                                                                                                    
ROD  BETIT, President,  Alaska  State  Hospital and  Nursing  Home                                                              
Association, Juneau,  Alaska, testified in favor  of the amendment                                                              
to the  committee substitute, which  broadens the language  in the                                                              
bill  to include  more  than uncompensated  care.  That  is a  key                                                              
factor  that  has kept  hospitals  from  moving to  higher  trauma                                                              
designation levels.  Broadening the use of those  funds will allow                                                              
the  Department  of Health  and  Social  Services (DHSS)  to  work                                                              
through barriers  to accomplish the  purpose of this  bill without                                                              
compromising the use of disproportionate share funds.                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
1:38:01 PM                                                                                                                    
WARD  HURLBURT M.D.,  MPH, Chief  Medical  Officer, Department  Of                                                              
Health And Social  Services, Division of Public  Health, testified                                                              
that,  in his  experience  as  a  surgeon, alcohol  is  definitely                                                              
associated with unintentional trauma in Alaska.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
1:39:15 PM                                                                                                                    
DR.  REGINA CHENAULT,  Chair, College  of  Surgeon's Committee  on                                                              
Alaska Trauma;  member of  the Violent  Crimes Compensation  Board                                                              
and the  Alaska State Trauma  System Review Committee,  Anchorage,                                                              
Alaska, thanked  the committee  for recognizing  the link  between                                                              
alcohol  and trauma  in the  state.  She said  the violent  crimes                                                              
board tracked the  association of drugs and alcohol  to trauma for                                                              
several  years and  found  that it  was  a factor  from  70 to  88                                                              
percent of the time.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
1:40:33 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR DAVIS closed public testimony.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PASKVAN  moved to adopt the proposed  committee substitute                                                              
(CS) to  SB 168, labeled 26-LS0799\R,  as the working  document of                                                              
the  committee. There  being no  objection, version  R was  before                                                              
the committee.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  PASKVAN provided  an  overview of  Amendment  1 to  draft                                                              
version  R.   He  said   the  purpose  is   to  remove   the  word                                                              
"uncompensated"  throughout the  bill, where  it refers to  trauma                                                              
care.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR DAVIS asked for a motion to adopt the amendment.                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR PASKVAN  moved to adopt  Amendment R.1 to CSSB  168. There                                                              
being no objection, Amendment R.1 was adopted.                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR THOMAS read  from page 2, line 14(d),  which provides that                                                              
"the commissioner  may  not provide  more than  25 percent  of the                                                              
total assets,  including earnings,  of the fund  in a  fiscal year                                                              
to one trauma  center." He said  50 percent of that  fund [Alcohol                                                              
and Other  Drug Treatment and  Prevention Fund (ADTP)]  is already                                                              
dedicated for  drug and  alcohol related  prevention and  asked if                                                              
the 25  percent refers  to the  entire amount,  or the  50 percent                                                              
that remains beyond the dedicated amount.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
TOM  OBERMEYER  said  the  statutory  authority  is  found  in  AS                                                              
43.60.050.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL  said his understanding is  that the amount                                                              
of the tax  available to the  [trauma care] fund from  the alcohol                                                              
tax  is   a  specified   amount  and  the   amount  that   can  be                                                              
appropriated  from the  fund is  also  limited, so  there are  two                                                              
different limitations.  The intent  was that  only so much  of the                                                              
alcohol tax would come into this fund.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
1:45:50 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  PASKVAN moved  to report  CSSB  168 as  amended from  the                                                              
committee  with  individual recommendations  and  attached  fiscal                                                              
note(s).  There  being  no objection,  CSSB  168(HSS)  moved  from                                                              
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:46:55 PM                                                                                                                    
There  being no  further business  to come  before the  committee,                                                              
Chair Davis adjourned the meeting at 1:46 p.m.