§11-26-1 Legislative findings.
§11-26-1. Legislative findings.
The Legislature finds and declares that:
(a) Medicaid provides access to basic medical care for our citizens who are not physically, mentally or economically able to provide for their own care;
(b) Inadequate compensation for health care providers rendering medicaid services is a barrier to indigent persons seeking access to health care services;
(c) Health care providers in this state are providing care, without compensation, to many citizens who are not medicaid eligible;
(d) Many health care providers are leaving this state due to economic conditions;
(e) Without adequate compensation this state cannot attract or retain a sufficient number of health care providers necessary to serve our indigent population;
(f) Without additional medicaid funding this state cannot adequately compensate health care providers for the health care services rendered to indigent patients;
(g) The Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees to the states the power to tax;
(h) The Congress of the United States has enacted Section 4701 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, P.L. 101-508, amending Section 1902 of the Social Security Act and authorizing state medicaid agencies to attribute taxes imposed on medicaid providers as part of the state share;
(i) By levying a tax on the medicaid reimbursements of health care providers for the purpose of meeting state fund matching requirements pursuant to Title XIX of the Social Security Act, federal matching funds will be increased;
(j) By dedicating such additional revenue to the medicaid program, health care provider fees may conform as closely as possible to usual and customary charges;
(k) Moneys generated in accordance with this article are supplementary only and shall not be used to reduce the general financial obligations of the state's medical assistance program as appropriated by the Legislature;
(l) These funds shall not be used for any purpose other than those purposes stated in this article and articles four-b and four-c, chapter nine of this code; and
(m) The medicaid enhancement boards and medicaid enhancement funds created pursuant to articles four-b and four-c, chapter nine of this code are created to carry out the purposes of this article.