Creating a health equity program and fund, and providing an appropriation

The bill requires DPH to adopt administrative rules to administer the program and specify the types of services and treatments covered under the program and requires that the covered services and treatments shall include health care services, treatments, supplies, and drugs needed to treat a menstrual or post-menstrual illness, injury, condition, disease, or its symptoms that comply with standard medical practice, or are approved by the United States food and drug administration or are recommended or preferred by the patient’s provider and supported by appropriate medical records. DPH shall establish a process for registration of participating providers eligible to receive reimbursement through the program. A participating provider shall be reimbursed for a covered service or treatment through the program fund within days of submission of a billing statement, and if applicable, the billing statement shall confirm that the patient is uninsured or that the service or treatment is not covered by the patient’s insurer. The amount billed by the participating provider shall not exceed the actual cost incurred by the provider in delivering the covered service or treatment. Reimbursement shall be paid directly to the participating provider and such payment shall be considered payment in full. The program shall be the payor of last resort. If sufficient program funds are not available to cover all of the billings submitted, DPH shall place a participating provider on a reimbursement waiting list in the order the participating provider’s billing statement was received. The provisions of the bill are not to be construed as granting an entitlement to reimbursement for any covered service or treatment provided by a participating provider. The bill creates a program fund under the control of DPH. The fund includes amounts appropriated by the general assembly and other moneys available from federal or private sources. Moneys in the fund at the end of each fiscal year shall not revert but remain in the fund. Moneys in the fund are appropriated to DPH for the purposes of the program. There is appropriated annually from the general fund of the state to the program fund a sum which reflects the total state revenue collected from the sales tax imposed on the sales price from the sales of period products and child and adult diapers annually, or if a sales tax is not imposed on such products, the amount that reflects the total dollar amount of the sales of such products sold in the state multiplied by the state sales tax rate. DPH shall submit an annual report to the governor and the general assembly regarding the status of the program and fund, including the balance remaining in the fund, the number of participating providers, the total amount billed per participating provider, the covered services and treatments for which reimbursement was provided in the previous year, and any recommendations for changes to the program or fund. The bill defines “period products” to include but not be limited to tampons, period pads, and period cups for use in connection with the menstrual cycle.