PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
Amend the bill in section 3 in §1718 in the first paragraph in the 2nd line (page 1, line 23 in L.D.) by inserting after the following: "provide the" the following: 'average'
Amend the bill by striking out all of sections 6 and 7 and inserting in their place the following:
‘Sec. 6. 22 MRSA §8703, sub-§2,  as amended by PL 2007, c. 136, §2, is further amended to read:
 
2. Board of directors.   The organization operates under the supervision of a board of directors, which consists of 20 voting members and one nonvoting member.
 
A. The Governor shall appoint 18 board members in accordance with the following requirements. Appointments by the Governor are not subject to review or confirmation.
 
(1) Four members must represent consumers. For the purposes of this section, "consumer" means a person who is not affiliated with or employed by a 3rd-party payor, a provider or an association representing those providers or those 3rd-party payors.
 
(2) Three members must represent employers. One member must be chosen from a list provided by a health management coalition in this State. One member must be chosen from a list provided by a statewide chamber of commerce.
 
(3) Two members must represent 3rd-party payors chosen from a list provided by a statewide organization representing 3rd-party payors.
 
(4) Nine members must represent providers. Two provider members must represent hospitals chosen from a list provided by the Maine Hospital Association. Two provider members must be physicians or representatives of physicians, one chosen from a list provided by the Maine Medical Association and one chosen from a list provided by the Maine Osteopathic Association. One provider member must be a doctor of chiropractic chosen from a list provided by a statewide chiropractic association. One provider member must be a representative, chosen from a list provided by the Maine Primary Care Association, of a federally qualified health center. One provider member must be a pharmacist chosen from a list provided by the Maine Pharmacy Association. One provider member must be a mental health provider chosen from a list provided by the Maine Association of Mental Health Services. One provider member must represent a home health care company.
 
B. The commissioner shall appoint 2 membersone member who are employeesis an employee of the department to represent the State's interest in maintaining health data and to ensure that information collected is available for determining public health policy.
 
D.  The Executive Director of Dirigo Health, or a designee of the executive director who is an employee of Dirigo Health, shall serve as a voting member.
 
E.  The Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation, or the commissioner's designee who is an employee of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, shall serve in a nonvoting, consultative capacity.
Sec. 7. 22 MRSA §8703, sub-§3, ¶B,  as amended by PL 2005, c. 253, §4, is further amended to read:
 
B. The terms of departmental board members are 3-year terms. DepartmentalState agency board members may serve an unlimited number of terms.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment changes the bill by allowing hospitals or ambulatory surgical centers to provide average charges rather than exact charges for inpatient and outpatient services to individuals upon request. It adds the Executive Director of Dirigo Health or a designee to the Maine Health Data Organization board of directors. It removes the requirement that the Superintendent of Insurance appoint a member to the board and adds the Commissioner of Professional and Financial Regulation or a designee, serving in a nonvoting capacity. It adds language to specify that the total number of board members includes one nonvoting member and to reflect the fact that there are representatives of state agencies in addition to the Department of Health and Human Services now serving on the board.
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED
(See attached)