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An Act To Preserve Jobs and Primary Care Services in Rural and Underserved Areas of Maine
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §259, sub-§1, as amended by PL 2001, c. 667, Pt. C, §12, is further amended to read:
 
1. Support for federally qualified health centers.   The department shall provide support for federally qualified health centers as follows:
 
A. Seventy-five thousand dollars in fiscal years 2001-02 and 2002-03 as the state Medicaid match to contract for Medicaid outstationing services at federally qualified health centers; and
 
B. Six hundred ninety-nine thousand, one hundred fifty dollars in fiscal year 2001-02 to federally qualified health centers to support the infrastructure of these programs in providing primary care services to underserved populations. Forty-four thousand, two hundred fifty dollars must be provided to each federally qualified health center with an additional $8,850 for the 2nd and each additional site operated by a federally qualified health center. For the purposes of this paragraph, "site" means a site or sites operated by the federally qualified health center within its scope of service that meet all health center requirements, including providing primary care services, regardless of patients' ability to pay, 5 days a week with extended hours. If there is not sufficient funding to meet the formula in this paragraph, the $699,150 must be allocated in proportion to the formula outlined in this paragraph.; and
 
C.  One million, five hundred thousand dollars, beginning with fiscal year 2015-16 and continuing each fiscal year thereafter, to support access to primary medical, behavioral health and dental services to residents of the State in rural and underserved communities and to assist with provider recruitment and retention. Twenty-five thousand dollars must be provided to each federally qualified health center, with an additional $5,000 to a federally qualified health center that has at least one site certified by a nationally recognized committee for quality assurance. For the purposes of this paragraph, "site" means a site or sites operated by the federally qualified health center within its scope of service that meet all health center requirements, including providing primary care services, regardless of patients' ability to pay, 5 days a week with extended hours. Any funds remaining from the appropriated $1,500,000 must be distributed among the centers proportionally, based on the percentage of the total number of uninsured patients served at the State's federally qualified health centers. The uninsured patient information must come from the standard annual reporting required by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, which oversees federally qualified health centers.
Sec. 2. Appropriations and allocations. The following appropriations and allocations are made.
 
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF
 
Purchased Social Services 0228
 
Initiative: Provides for funding for the State's federally qualified health centers to support access to primary medical, behavioral health and dental services for residents in rural and underserved communities, as well as to assist with provider recruitment and retention.

GENERAL FUND	2015-16	2016-17	
All Other	$1,500,000	$1,500,000	
			
GENERAL FUND TOTAL	$1,500,000	$1,500,000	

SUMMARY
This bill provides for the allocation of funding among Maine's federally qualified health centers to support access to primary medical, behavioral health and dental services for residents in rural and underserved communities. This funding is targeted to support the provision of primary care services for the uninsured and underinsured, as well as to assist with provider recruitment and retention.