House Bill 18

This version creates a State Office of Rural Hospital Finance within the Health and Human Services Commission, four rural hospital grant programs and a rural hospital officers academy. It also adds a Medicaid add-on rate for rural hospitals with obstetrics departments, retargets pediatric telemedicine grants to rural hospitals and clinics, and directs a rural pediatric mental health access program. The ratings point both ways. Positive: +1 Moderate on rural access and +1 Moderate on procurement and contracting integrity. Negative: -1 Moderate on spending growth, chiefly from the Medicaid rate changes, and -1 Moderate on sunset review, because the new grant programs and academy have no expiration date.