Master FIR (1988)

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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR:	Jennings		DATE TYPED:	2/6/00		HB
SHORT TITLE:		Burial or Cremation Expenses for Indigent				SB	226
					ANALYST:		Dunbar

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained		Estimated Additional Impact	Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
FY00	FY01	FY00	Recurring or Non-Rec	Fund Affected
NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC files

Health Policy Commission

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

SB 226 amends Section 24-13-3 of the Burial of Indigents Act in the Health and Safety Code changing the payment source for the indigent burials and cremations from the general fund to the county indigent hospital claims fund. SB 226 also amends Section 27-5-7.1 of the Indigent Hospital and County Health Care Act of the Public Assistance Code expanding the uses of the county indigent hospital claims fund to pay for the expenses of burial or cremation of an indigent person.

TECHNICAL ISSUES

Health Policy Commission (HPC) notes that only 29 of 33 counties have a county indigent fund.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

HPC reports that:

•21.1% of NM citizens are uninsured. Most of the uninsured have incomes less than 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL). County Indigent Fund (CIF) are intended to pay for health care claims of medically indigent.

•Counties can pay for almost all health care service through the CIF. In FY 99 most counties limited services to hospital and ambulance. Only 17 covered substance abuse and primary care clinic services, 15 covered mental health, and 9 covered dental services.

•In FY 99, CIF expenditures were over $24 million of which $10.9 was expended to pay for claims to providers and facilities.

•CIF fund balances statewide were approximately $10 million.

•Use of CIF to pay for burials would alleviate some of the strain on county general funds.

•However, it may reduce the amount of health care services paid out of the CIF.

AMENDMENTS

HPC suggest that on page 2 line 4, do not delete general fund and insert 'or' between general fund and county indigent hospital claims fund to read "burial or cremation expenses may be paid by the county out of the general fund or county indigent hospital claims fund"

BD/prr