ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE  SENATE HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE  February 22, 2010 1:31 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT Senator Bettye Davis, Chair Senator Joe Paskvan, Vice Chair Senator Johnny Ellis Senator Joe Thomas Senator Fred Dyson MEMBERS ABSENT  All members present COMMITTEE CALENDAR  SENATE BILL NO. 168 "An Act relating to state certification and designation of trauma centers; creating the uncompensated trauma care fund to offset uncompensated trauma care provided at certified and designated trauma centers; and providing for an effective date." - MOVED CSSB 168(HSS) OUT OF COMMITTEE PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION  BILL: SB 168 SHORT TITLE: TRAUMA CARE CENTERS/FUND SPONSOR(s): HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES BY REQUEST 03/27/09 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS 03/27/09 (S) HSS, FIN 04/08/09 (S) HSS AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 211 04/08/09 (S) Heard & Held 04/08/09 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 02/10/10 (S) HSS AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 02/10/10 (S) Heard & Held 02/10/10 (S) MINUTE(HSS) 02/22/10 (S) HSS AT 1:30 PM BUTROVICH 205 WITNESS REGISTER REPRESENTATIVE COGHILL Alaska State Legislature Juneau, AK POSITION STATEMENT: Sponsor of SB 168. ROD BETIT, President Alaska State Hospital and Nursing Home Association Juneau, AK POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in favor of the amendment to the committee substitute to SB 168. WARD HURLBURT M.D., MPH, Chief Medical Officer Department Of Health and Social Services (DHSS) Division of Public Health Anchorage, AK POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 168. DR. REGINA CHENAULT, Chair College of Surgeon's Committee on Alaska Trauma Anchorage, AK POSITION STATEMENT: Supported SB 168. ACTION NARRATIVE 1:31:44 PM CHAIR BETTYE DAVIS called the Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:31 p.m. Present at the call to order were Senators, Ellis, Dyson, Paskvan and Davis. 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.