Hospital Community Benefits Reporting Requirements

The bill requires hospitals, other than critical access hospitals, that are exempt from state or local taxes to report information about the tax benefits they receive and the community benefits they provide. The bill creates a hospital community benefits advisory council within the department of health care policy and financing to accept and analyze hospital reports. The executive director of the department is required to adopt rules, in consultation with the advisory council, specifying when hospitals are to submit the reports, the form and manner of reporting the required data, the categories of community benefits they provide and the services that constitute a community benefit, and related matters.

Upon analyzing hospital data, the advisory council is to:

• Make recommendations to the executive director regarding any modifications needed to the hospital reporting requirements as specified in rules; and
• Provide annual reports to specified legislative committees regarding the hospital data and any legislative recommendations.

The advisory council and hospital reporting requirements are subject to sunset review in 2021, with repeal of the advisory council and hospital reporting requirements scheduled for September 1, 2022.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)