Amended  IN  Senate  June 18, 2018
Amended  IN  Senate  June 07, 2018
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 26, 2018
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 19, 2018
Amended  IN  Assembly  April 17, 2018
Amended  IN  Assembly  March 15, 2018

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill No. 2118


Introduced by Assembly Member Cooley

February 08, 2018


An act to amend Sections 14105.94, 14129, 14129.1, 14129.2, and 14129.3 14105.94 and 14129 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal, and declaring the urgency thereof, to take effect immediately.


LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 2118, as amended, Cooley. Medi-Cal: emergency medical transportation services.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program program provisions.
Existing law, the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transportation Reimbursement Act, commencing July 1, 2018, and subject to federal approval and the availability of federal financial participation, imposes a quality assurance fee for each emergency medical transport provided by an emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee in accordance with a prescribed methodology. Existing law requires the Director of Health Care Services to deposit the collected quality assurance fee into the continuously appropriated Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, for exclusive use in a specified order of priority to enhance federal financial participation for ambulance services under the Medi-Cal program, and to provide additional reimbursement to, and to support quality improvement efforts of, emergency medical transport providers, to pay for state administrative costs, and to provide funding for health care coverage for Californians. Existing law requires each emergency medical transport provider to report to the department data on the number of actual emergency medical transports by payer type and on gross receipts, as defined. The act increases Medi-Cal reimbursement to emergency medical transport providers for emergency medical transports, as specified.
Existing law authorizes a Medi-Cal provider of ground emergency medical transportation services, that is owned or operated by the state, a city, county, city and county, fire protection district, special district, community services district, health care district, or a federally recognized Indian tribe, to receive supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement in addition to the rate of payment the provider would otherwise receive for those services. Existing law requires the department to develop a modified supplemental reimbursement program, with necessary federal approvals, that would seek to increase the reimbursement to an eligible provider, as specified. Existing law requires the nonfederal share of any supplemental reimbursement provided under the modified program to be derived from voluntary intergovernmental transfers of local funds. Existing law states the Legislature’s intent in enacting these provisions to provide the supplemental reimbursement without any expenditure from the General Fund.
This bill would exempt the above-described providers owned or operated by the specified governmental entities from the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transportation Reimbursement Act and the quality assurance fee requirements. The bill would require the department to seek approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to exempt those providers, as specified.
The bill, subject to any necessary federal approvals, would change the calculation of the supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement by requiring those governmental entities to participate in a managed care intergovernmental transfer program. The bill would require the combined amounts of payment under the new calculation to equal 100% of projected costs for ground emergency medical transportation services by each qualified provider. The bill would require the department to review and evaluate providers’ requests for rate changes and make adjustments to those rates, as specified.
The bill would require that the department be reimbursed for costs associated with administering the modified program and for any state revenue not obtained due to government providers being exempted from the quality assurance fee.
The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to the above-described provisions.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Vote: 2/3   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 Section 14105.94 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

14105.94.
 (a) An eligible provider, as described in subdivision (b), may, in addition to the rate of payment that the provider would otherwise receive for Medi-Cal ground emergency medical transportation services, receive supplemental Medi-Cal reimbursement to the extent provided in this section.
(b) A provider shall be eligible for supplemental reimbursement only if the provider has all of the following characteristics continuously during a state fiscal year:
(1) Provides ground emergency medical transportation services to Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
(2) Is a provider that is enrolled as a Medi-Cal provider for the period being claimed.
(3) Is owned or operated by the state, a city, county, city and county, fire protection district organized pursuant to Part 2.7 (commencing with Section 13800) of Division 12 of the Health and Safety Code, special district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 58000) of Division 1 of Title 6 of the Government Code, community services district organized pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 61000) of Division 3 of Title 6 of the Government Code, health care district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 32000) of Division 23 of the Health and Safety Code, or a federally recognized Indian tribe.
(c) An eligible provider’s reimbursement pursuant to this section shall be calculated and paid as follows:
(1) The amount paid to the provider using the established Medi-Cal schedule of maximum allowance rates as may be revised from time to time.
(2) An additional payment to an eligible provider, as described in subdivision (b), that shall be equal to the amount of federal financial participation received as a result of the claims submitted and, if applicable, the amount of intergovernmental transfer funds needed to claim the federal share.
(3) The amount claimed and paid pursuant to paragraph (1), when combined with the amount received pursuant to paragraph (2) or from all other sources of reimbursement from the Medi-Cal program, shall equal 100 percent of projected costs, as determined pursuant to the Medi-Cal State Plan, for ground emergency medical transportation services by each qualified provider. The provider’s rate as prescribed in paragraph (2) shall be adjusted annually based upon the ground emergency medical transportation services cost report. Providers shall have the ability to annually request a change in their rate as prescribed in paragraph (2) due to either a change in the scope, intensity, or mix of services that the provider provides or due to extraordinary increases in the cost of providing services. The department shall review and evaluate these requests and adjust a provider’s rate as demonstrated in this review.
(4) The Medi-Cal reimbursement provided by this section shall be distributed exclusively to eligible providers under a payment methodology based on ground emergency medical transportation services provided to Medi-Cal beneficiaries by eligible providers on a per-transport basis or other federally permissible basis. The department shall obtain approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for the payment methodology to be utilized, and may not make any payment pursuant to this section prior to obtaining that approval.
(d) (1) It is the Legislature’s intent in enacting this section to provide the supplemental reimbursement described in this section without any expenditure from the General Fund. An eligible provider, as a condition of receiving supplemental reimbursement pursuant to this section, shall enter into, and maintain, an agreement with the department for the purposes of implementing this section and reimbursing the department for the costs of administering this section.
(2) The nonfederal share of the reimbursement specified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) submitted to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for purposes of claiming federal financial participation shall be paid only with funds from the governmental entities described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b) and transferred to the state.
(e) Participation in the program by an eligible provider described in this section is voluntary. If an applicable governmental entity elects to seek reimbursement pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) on behalf of an eligible provider owned or operated by the entity, as described in paragraph (3) of subdivision (b), the governmental entity shall do all of the following:
(1) Certify, in conformity with the requirements of Section 433.51 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, that the claimed expenditures for the ground emergency medical transportation services are eligible for federal financial participation.
(2) Provide evidence supporting the certification as specified by the department.
(3) Submit data as specified by the department to determine the appropriate amounts to claim as expenditures qualifying for federal financial participation.
(4) Keep, maintain, and have readily retrievable, any records specified by the department to fully disclose reimbursement amounts to which the eligible provider is entitled, and any other records required by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
(5) If applicable, participate in the managed care intergovernmental transfer program established under subdivision (k).
(f) (1) The department shall promptly seek any necessary federal approvals for the implementation of this section. The department may limit the program to those costs that are allowable expenditures under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.). If federal approval is not obtained for implementation of this section, this section shall not be implemented.
(2) The department shall submit claims for federal financial participation for the expenditures for the services described in subdivision (e) that are allowable expenditures under federal law.
(3) The department shall, on an annual basis, submit any necessary materials to the federal government to provide assurances that claims for federal financial participation will include only those expenditures that are allowable under federal law.
(g) (1) If either a final judicial determination is made by any court of appellate jurisdiction or a final determination is made by the administrator of the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that the supplemental reimbursement provided for in this section must be made to any provider not described in this section, the director shall execute a declaration stating that the determination has been made and on that date this section shall become inoperative.
(2) The declaration executed pursuant to this subdivision shall be retained by the director, provided to the fiscal and appropriate policy committees of the Legislature, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Senate, the Chief Clerk of the Assembly, and the Legislative Counsel, and posted on the department’s Internet Web site.
(h) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may implement and administer this section by means of provider bulletins, or similar instructions, without taking regulatory action.
(i) (1) Upon the effective date of the act that added this subdivision, the department shall develop, in consultation with the providers described in subdivision (b), and seek any necessary federal approvals for, a modified program for the supplemental reimbursement authorized by this section that will seek to provide increased reimbursement to an eligible provider that participates in the program. The nonfederal share of any supplemental reimbursement provided under the modified program shall be derived from voluntary intergovernmental transfers of local funds. The department shall otherwise develop the modified program consistent with the requirements of this section, except for paragraph (3) of subdivision (c), and only to the extent that federal financial participation is available.
(2) The department shall be reimbursed for costs associated with administering the modified program described in paragraph (1) in accordance with subdivision (d) and for any state revenue not obtained due to government providers being exempted from the quality assurance fee pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (i) of Section 14129 and Section 14129.2. The department shall not otherwise assess a percentage fee in connection with any intergovernmental transfer of funds made pursuant to this subdivision.
(3) The department shall not implement the modified program described in paragraph (1) until it obtains all necessary federal approvals. Until those federal approvals are obtained, supplemental reimbursement shall continue to be available pursuant to the provisions of this section that were operative prior to the effective date of the act that added this subdivision.
(j) The department shall not implement the modified program described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (i) unless it determines that the modified program will likely result in an overall increase to the supplemental reimbursement available pursuant to the provisions of this section that were operative prior to the effective date of the act that added this subdivision.
(k) Subdivision (c) creates a new reimbursement rate for government-operated emergency transportation by government providers that is equal to the projected cost for that provider. Consistent with Section 6085 of the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), also known as the “Rogers Amendment,” the department shall require Medi-Cal managed care plans to pay noncontracting government emergency transportation providers an amount equal to the rate established in subdivision (c). The nonfederal share of the payment for paragraph (2) of subdivision (c) shall be paid by intergovernmental transfer from the participating government entity.

SEC. 2.

 Section 14129 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:

14129.
 For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:
(a) “Annual quality assurance fee rate” means the quality assurance fee assessed on each emergency medical transport during each applicable state fiscal year.
(b) “Aggregate fee schedule amount” means the product of the fee-for-service add-on described in Section 14129.3 and the Medi-Cal emergency medical transports, including both fee-for-service transports paid by the department and managed care transports paid by Medi-Cal managed care health plans, utilizing the billing codes for emergency medical transport for the state fiscal year.
(c) “Available fee amount” shall be calculated as the sum of the following:
(1) The amount deposited in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund established under Section 14129.2 during the applicable state fiscal year, less the amounts described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) of Section 14129.2.
(2) Any federal financial participation obtained as a result of the deposit of the amount described in paragraph (1) in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, created pursuant to Section 14129.2, for the applicable state fiscal year.
(d) “Department” means the State Department of Health Care Services.
(e) “Director” means the Director of Health Care Services.
(f) “Effective state medical assistance percentage” means a ratio of the aggregate expenditures from state-only sources for the Medi-Cal program divided by the aggregate expenditures from state and federal sources for the Medi-Cal program for a state fiscal year.
(g) “Emergency medical transport” means the act of transporting an individual from any point of origin to the nearest medical facility capable of meeting the emergency medical needs of the patient by an emergency medical transport provider by means of an ambulance licensed, operated, and equipped in accordance with applicable state or local statutes, ordinances, or regulations that are billed with billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0427 ALS Emergency, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director. “Emergency medical transport” does not include transportation of beneficiaries by passenger car, taxicabs, litter vans, wheelchair vans, or other forms of public or private conveyances, nor shall it include transportation by an air ambulance provider. An “emergency medical transport” does not occur when, following evaluation of a patient, a transport is not provided.
(h) “Gross receipts” means gross payments received as patient care revenue for emergency medical transports, determined on a cash basis of accounting. “Gross receipts” includes all payments received as patient care revenue for emergency medical transports, including payments for billing codes A0429 BLS Emergency, A0427 ALS Emergency, and A0433 ALS2, and any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director, and any other ancillary billing codes associated with emergency medical transport as may be determined by the director. “Gross receipts” does not include supplemental amounts received pursuant to Section 14105.94.
(i) (1) “Emergency medical transport provider” means any nonpublic provider of emergency medical transports.
(2) “Emergency medical transport provider” does not include any emergency transport provider owned or operated by the state, a city, county, city and county, fire protection district organized pursuant to Part 2.7 (commencing with Section 13800) of Division 12 of the Health and Safety Code, special district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 58000) of Division 1 of Title 6 of the Government Code, community services district organized pursuant to Part 1 (commencing with Section 61000) of Division 3 of Title 6 of the Government Code, health care district organized pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 32000) of Division 23 of the Health and Safety Code, or a federally recognized Indian tribe.
(j) “Emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee” means all emergency medical transport providers, as defined in subdivision (i), that bill and receive patient care revenue from the provision of emergency medical transports, except emergency medical transport providers that are exempt pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 14129.6.
(k) “Medi-Cal managed care health plan” means a “managed health care plan” as that term is defined in subdivision (ab) of Section 14169.51.

SEC. 3.Section 14129.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
14129.1.

(a)(1)The department shall establish the manner and format for emergency medical transport providers to report the data required pursuant to this section.

(2)The department may establish an Internet Web site for the submission of reports required by this section.

(3)The department may require a certification by each emergency medical transport provider under penalty of perjury of the truth of the reports required under this section. Upon written notice to an emergency medical transport provider, the department may impose a penalty of one hundred dollars ($100) per day against an emergency medical transport provider for every day that an emergency medical transport provider fails to make a report required by this section within five days of the date upon which the report was due. Any funds resulting from a penalty imposed pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund created pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 14129.2.

(b)Each emergency medical transport provider shall report to the department data on the number of actual emergency medical transports by payer type, including, without limitation, Medi-Cal fee-for-service emergency medical transports and Medi-Cal managed care emergency medical transports per quarter, as follows:

(1)For each quarter beginning on July 1, 2015, through the quarter beginning on July 1, 2017, inclusive, the data shall be submitted on or before October 15, 2017.

(2)For the quarter beginning on October 1, 2017, and continuing each quarter thereafter, the data shall be submitted on or before the 45th day after the last day of the applicable quarter.

(c)Each emergency medical transport provider shall report to the department data on the gross receipts received from the provision of emergency medical transports per state fiscal year, as follows:

(1)For the state fiscal years beginning on July 1, 2015, and July 1, 2016, the data shall be submitted on or before October 15, 2017.

(2)For each state fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2017, and continuing each state fiscal year thereafter, the data shall be submitted on or before the 45th day after the last day of the applicable state fiscal year.

SEC. 4.Section 14129.2 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
14129.2.

(a)(1)Commencing with the state fiscal quarter beginning on July 1, 2018, and continuing each state fiscal quarter thereafter for which this article is implemented, there shall be imposed a quality assurance fee for each emergency medical transport provided by each emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee in accordance with this section.

(2)The director shall ensure that the quality assurance fee per emergency medical transport imposed pursuant to this article is collected.

(b)(1)On or before June 15, 2018, and continuing each June 15 thereafter for which this article is implemented, the director shall calculate the annual quality assurance fee rate applicable to the following state fiscal year based on the most recently collected data from emergency medical transport providers pursuant to Section 14129.1. The director may correct any identified material or significant errors in the data collected from emergency medical transport providers pursuant to Section 14129.1 for the purposes of calculating the annual quality assurance fee rate. The director’s determination whether to exercise his or her discretion to correct any data pursuant to this paragraph shall not be subject to judicial review, except that an emergency medical transport provider may bring a writ of mandate under Section 1085 of the Code of Civil Procedure to rectify an abuse of discretion by the director in correcting that emergency medical transport provider’s data when that correction results in a greater fee amount for that provider pursuant to this section.

(A)For the state fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2018, the annual quality assurance fee rate shall be calculated by multiplying the projected total annual gross receipts for all emergency medical transport providers subject to the fee by 5.1 percent, which resulting product shall be divided by the projected total annual emergency medical transports by all emergency medical transport providers subject to the fee for the state fiscal year.

(B)For state fiscal years beginning July 1, 2019, and continuing each state fiscal year thereafter, the annual quality assurance fee rate shall be calculated by a ratio, the numerator of which shall be the sum of: (i) the product of the projected aggregate fee schedule amount and the effective state medical assistance percentage and (ii) the amount described in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) of subdivision (f) for the state fiscal year, and the denominator of which shall be 90 percent of the projected total annual emergency medical transports by all emergency medical transport providers subject to the fee for the state fiscal year.

(2)On or before June 15, 2018, and continuing each June 15 thereafter for which this article is implemented, the director shall publish the annual quality assurance fee rate on its Internet Web site.

(3)In no case shall the fees calculated pursuant to this subdivision and collected pursuant to this article exceed the amounts allowable under federal law. If, on or before June 15 of each year, the director makes a determination that the fees collected pursuant to this subdivision exceed the amounts allowable under federal law, the director may reduce the add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule described in Section 14129.3 only to the extent necessary to reflect the amount of fees allowable under federal law in an applicable state fiscal year.

(4)If, during a state fiscal year for which this article is operative, the actual or projected available fee amount exceeds or is less than the actual or projected aggregate fee schedule amount by more than 1 percent, the director shall adjust the annual quality assurance fee rate so that the available fee amount for the state fiscal year will approximately equal the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year. The available fee amount for a state fiscal year shall be considered to equal the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year if the difference between the available fee amount for the state fiscal year and the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year constitutes less than 1 percent of the aggregate fee schedule amount for the state fiscal year.

(c)(1)Each emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee shall remit to the department an amount equal to the annual quality assurance fee rate for the 2018–19 state fiscal year multiplied by the number of transports reported or that should have been reported by the emergency medical transport provider pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14129.1 in the quarter beginning on April 1, 2018, based on a schedule established by the director. The schedule established by the director for the fee payment described in this paragraph shall require remittance of the fee payment according to the following guidelines:

(A)The director shall require an emergency medical transport provider that rendered 35,000 or more Medi-Cal fee-for-service emergency medical transports during the 2016–17 state fiscal year to remit the fee payment described in this paragraph on or after July 1, 2018.

(B)The director shall require an emergency medical transport provider that rendered fewer than 35,000 Medi-Cal fee-for-service emergency medical transports during the 2016–17 state fiscal year to remit 50 percent or less of the fee payment described in this paragraph on or after August 1, 2018.

(C)The director shall require an emergency medical transport provider that rendered fewer than 35,000 Medi-Cal fee-for-service emergency medical transports during the 2016–17 state fiscal year to remit any remaining fee payment amount described in this paragraph on or after August 15, 2018.

(2)Commencing with the state fiscal quarter beginning on October 1, 2018, and continuing each state fiscal quarter thereafter, on or before the first day of each state fiscal quarter, each emergency medical transport provider subject to the fee shall remit to the department an amount equal to the annual quality assurance fee rate for the applicable state fiscal year multiplied by the number of transports reported or that should have been reported by the emergency medical transport provider pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14129.1 in the immediately preceding quarter.

(d)(1)Interest shall be assessed on quality assurance fees not paid on the date due at the greater of 10 percent per annum or the rate at which the department assesses interest on Medi-Cal program overpayments pursuant to subdivision (h) of Section 14171. Interest shall begin to accrue the day after the date the payment was due and shall be deposited in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund established in subdivision (f).

(2)In the event that any fee payment is more than 60 days overdue, the department may deduct the unpaid fee and interest owed from any Medi-Cal reimbursement payments owed to the emergency medical transport provider until the full amount of the fee, interest, and any penalties assessed under this article are recovered. Any deduction made pursuant to this subdivision shall be made only after the department gives the emergency medical transport provider written notification. Any deduction made pursuant to this subdivision may be deducted over a period of time that takes into account the financial condition of the emergency medical transport provider.

(3)In the event that any fee payment is more than 60 days overdue, a penalty equal to the interest charge described in paragraph (1) shall be assessed and due for each month for which the payment is not received after 60 days. Any funds resulting from a penalty imposed pursuant to this paragraph shall be deposited into the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund created pursuant to subdivision (f).

(4)The director may waive a portion or all of either the interest or penalties, or both, assessed under this article in the event the director determines, in his or her sole discretion, that the emergency medical transport provider has demonstrated that imposition of the full amount of the quality assurance fee pursuant to the timelines applicable under this article has a high likelihood of creating an undue financial hardship for the provider. Waiver of some or all of the interest or penalties pursuant to this paragraph shall be conditioned on the emergency medical transport provider’s agreement to make fee payments on an alternative schedule developed by the department.

(e)The department shall accept an emergency medical transport provider’s payment even if the payment is submitted in a rate year subsequent to the rate year in which the fee was assessed.

(f)(1)The director shall deposit the quality assurance fees collected pursuant to this section in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, which is hereby created in the State Treasury and, notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, is continuously appropriated without regard to fiscal years to the department for the purposes specified in this article. Notwithstanding Section 16305.7 of the Government Code, the fund shall also include interest and dividends earned on moneys in the fund.

(2)The moneys in the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transport Fund, including any interest and dividends earned on money in the fund, shall be available exclusively to enhance federal financial participation for ambulance services under the Medi-Cal program and to provide additional reimbursement to, and to support quality improvement efforts of, emergency medical transport providers, and to pay for the state’s administrative costs and to provide funding for health care coverage for Californians, in the following order of priority:

(A)To pay for the department’s staffing and administrative costs directly attributable to implementing this article, not to exceed the following amounts:

(i)For the 2018–19 state fiscal year, one million three thousand dollars ($1,003,000), exclusive of any federal matching funds.

(ii)For the 2019–20 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter, three hundred seventy-four thousand dollars ($374,000), exclusive of any federal matching funds.

(B)To pay for the health care coverage in each applicable state fiscal year in the amount of 10 percent of the annual quality assurance fee collection amount, exclusive of any federal matching funds.

(C)To make increased payments to emergency medical transport providers pursuant to this article.

(g)In the event of a merger, acquisition, or similar transaction involving an emergency medical transport provider that has outstanding quality assurance fee payment obligations pursuant to this article, including any interest and penalty amounts owed, the resultant or successor emergency medical transport provider shall be responsible for paying to the department the full amount of outstanding quality assurance fee payments, including any applicable interest and penalties, attributable to the emergency medical transport provider for which it was assessed, upon the effective date of such transaction. An entity considering a merger, acquisition, or similar transaction involving an emergency medical transport provider may submit a request pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 6250) of Title 1 of the Government Code to ascertain the outstanding quality assurance fee payment obligations of the emergency medical transport provider pursuant to this article as of the date of the department’s response to that request.

(h)The department shall seek approval from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to exempt those providers identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (i) of Section 14129 as exempt from the fees specified, including the submission, as may be necessary, of a request for waiver of the broad-based requirement, waiver of the uniform fee requirement, or both, pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2) of Section 433.68(e) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

SEC. 5.Section 14129.3 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:
14129.3.

(a)Commencing July 1, 2018, and for each state fiscal year thereafter for which this article is operative, reimbursement to emergency medical transport providers for emergency medical transports shall be increased by application of an add-on to the associated Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule. The add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule under this section shall be calculated on or before June 15, 2018, and shall remain the same for later state fiscal years for which this article is operative, to the extent the department determines federal financial participation is available and is not otherwise jeopardized. The add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule under this section shall apply only to those billing codes identified in, or any equivalent, predecessor, or successor billing codes as may be determined by the director pursuant to, subdivision (g) of Section 14129. The department shall calculate the projections required by this subdivision based on the data submitted pursuant to Section 14129.1. The fee-for-service add-on shall be equal to the quotient of the available fee amount projected by the department on or before June 15, 2018, for the 2018–19, state fiscal year, divided by the total Medi-Cal emergency medical transports, including both fee-for-service transports paid by the department and managed care transports paid by Medi-Cal managed care health plans, utilizing these billing codes projected by the department on or before June 15, 2018, for the 2018–19 state fiscal year. The resulting fee-for-service payment schedule amounts after the application of this section shall be equal to the sum of the Medi-Cal fee-for-service payment schedule amount for the 2015–16 state fiscal year and the add-on increase.

(b)Each applicable Medi-Cal managed care health plan shall satisfy its obligation under Section 438.114(c) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations for emergency medical transports and shall provide payment to noncontract emergency medical transport providers consistent with Section 1396u-2(b)(2)(D) of Title 42 of the United States Code. Effective July 1, 2018, and for each state fiscal year thereafter for which this article is operative, the amounts a noncontract emergency medical transport provider could collect if the beneficiary received medical assistance other than through enrollment in a Medi-Cal managed care health plan pursuant to Section 1396u-2(b)(2)(D) of Title 42 of the United States Code shall be the resulting fee-for-service payment schedule amounts after the application of this section.

(c)The increased payments required by this section shall be funded solely from the following:

(1)The quality assurance fee set forth in Section 14129.2, along with any interest or other investment income earned on those funds.

(2)Federal reimbursement and any other related federal funds.

(d)The proceeds of the quality assurance fee set forth in Section 14129.2, the matching amount provided by the federal government, and any interest earned on those proceeds shall be used to supplement existing funding for emergency medical transports provided by emergency medical transport providers and not to supplant this funding.

(e)Notwithstanding any provision of this article, the department may seek federal approval to implement any add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule pursuant to this section for any state fiscal year or years, as applicable, on a time-limited basis for a fixed program period, as determined by the department.

(f)Notwithstanding any provision of this article, the add-on increase to the fee-for-service payment schedule pursuant to this section shall only be required and payable for state fiscal years for which a quality assurance fee payment obligation exists for emergency medical transport providers.

SEC. 6.SEC. 3.

 This act is an urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of the California Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts constituting the necessity are:
In order to avoid the imposition of quality assurance fees under the Medi-Cal Emergency Medical Transportation Reimbursement Act on the providers exempted pursuant to this act, it is necessary that this act take effect immediately.