Effectiveness and cessation.

(a) The assessment imposed under this article shall not take effect or shall cease to be imposed and any moneys remaining in the Hospital Assessment Account in the Alabama Medicaid Program Trust Fund shall be refunded to hospitals in proportion to the amounts paid by them if any of the following occur:

(1) Expenditures for hospital inpatient and outpatient services paid for by the Alabama Medicaid Program for fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022, are less than the amount paid during fiscal year 2017. Reimbursement rates under this article for fiscal years 2020, 2021, and 2022, are less than the rates approved by CMS in Sections 40-26B-79 and 40-26B-80.

(2) The Medicaid Agency makes changes in its rules that reduce hospital inpatient payment rates, outpatient payment rates, or adjustment payments, including any cost settlement protocol, that were in effect on September 30, 2019.

(3) The inpatient or outpatient hospital access payments required under this article are changed or the assessments imposed or certified public expenditures, or intergovernmental transfers recognized under this article are not eligible for federal matching funds under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. §1396 et seq., or 42 U.S.C. §1397aa et seq.

(4) The Medicaid Agency contracts with an alternate care provider in a Medicaid region under any terms other than the following:

a. If a regional care organization or alternate care provider failed to provide adequate service pursuant to its contract, or had its certification terminated, or if the agency could not award a contract to a regional care organization under its quality, efficiency, and cost conditions, or if no organization had been awarded a regional care organization certificate by October 1, 2016, or the date of extension as set out in Act No. 2016-377, then the agency shall first offer a contract, to resume interrupted service or to assume service in the region, under its quality, efficiency, and cost conditions to any other regional care organization that the agency judged would meet its quality criteria.

b. If by October 1, 2014, no organization had a probationary regional care organization certification in a region. However, the agency could extend the deadline until January 1, 2015, if it judged an organization was making reasonable progress toward getting probationary certification. If the agency judged that no organization in the region likely would achieve probationary certification by January 1, 2015, then the agency shall let any organization with probationary or full regional care organization certification apply to develop a regional care organization in the region. If at least one organization made such an application, the agency no sooner than October 1, 2015, would decide whether any organization could reasonably be expected to become a fully certified regional care organization in the region and its initial region.

c. If an organization lost its probationary certification before October 1, 2016, or the date of the extension as set out in Act No. 2016-377, the agency shall offer any other organization with probationary or full regional care organization certification, which it judged could successfully provide service in the region and its initial region, the opportunity to serve Medicaid beneficiaries in both regions.

d. The agency may contract with an alternate care provider only if no regional care organization accepted a contract under the terms of paragraph a., or no organization was granted the opportunity to develop a regional care organization in the affected region under the terms of paragraph b., or no organization was granted the opportunity to serve Medicaid beneficiaries under the terms of paragraph c.

e. The agency may contract with an alternate care provider under the terms of paragraph d. only if, in the judgment of the agency, care of Medicaid enrollees would be better, more efficient, and less costly than under the then existing care delivery system. The agency may contract with more than one alternate care provider in a Medicaid region.

f.1. If the agency were to contract with an alternate care provider under the terms of this section, that provider would have to pay reimbursements for hospital inpatient or outpatient care at rates at least equal to those published as of October 1, 2017, pursuant to Sections 40-26B-79 and 40-26B-80.

2. If more than a year had elapsed since the agency directly paid reimbursements to hospitals, the minimum reimbursement rates paid by the alternate care provider would have to be changed to reflect any percentage increase in the national medical consumer price index minus 100 basis points.

(b)(1) The assessment imposed under this article shall not take effect or shall cease to be imposed if the assessment is determined to be an impermissible tax under Title XIX of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. §1396 et seq.

(2) Moneys in the Hospital Assessment Account in the Alabama Medicaid Program Trust Fund derived from assessments imposed before the determination described in subdivision (1) shall be disbursed under this article to the extent federal matching is not reduced due to the impermissibility of the assessments, and any remaining moneys shall be refunded to hospitals in proportion to the amounts paid by them.

(Act 2009-549, p. 1454, §2; Act 2011-615, p. 1383, §1; Act 2013-246, p. 595, §1; Act 2016-299, p. 749, §1; Act 2017-382, §1; Act 2018-543, §1; Act 2019-278, §1.)