§ 40-8.4-14 - Permanent joint committee on health care oversight.
SECTION 40-8.4-14
§ 40-8.4-14 Permanent joint committee onhealth care oversight. – (a) The legislature hereby finds and declares that: (1) access to affordable,quality health and long-term care is of concern for all Rhode Islanders; (2)the complexities of the health insurance and health care delivery systemsresult in inefficiencies, confusion and additional costs for consumers andother participants in the health care system; (3) reform to the healthinsurance and health care delivery systems is achievable only through anongoing, focused, directed, and informed effort; and (4) steps taken to reducethe numbers of uninsured Rhode Islanders, enhance the quality of care, containcosts, assure accessibility to services, and promote healthy lifestyles shouldbe monitored, adjusted or expanded as needed. Therefore, there is herebycreated a permanent legislative committee to monitor, study, report and makerecommendations on all areas of health care provision, insurance, liability,licensing, cost and delivery of services, and the adequacy, efficacy andefficiency of statutes, rules, regulations, guidelines, practices, and programsrelated to health care, long-term care, or health insurance coverage in RhodeIsland.
(b) The committee consists of twelve (12) members of thegeneral assembly: six (6) of whom shall be members of the house ofrepresentatives, to include the chair or deputy chair of the committee onfinance, the chair or vice chair of the committee on corporations, the chair orvice chair of the committee on health, education and welfare; and one of whomshall be from the minority party, to be appointed by, and to serve at thediscretion of, the speaker of the house of representatives; and six (6) of whomshall be from the senate, to include the chair or vice chair of the committeeon finance, the chair or vice chair of the committee on commerce, housing andmunicipal government, the chair or vice chair of the committee on health andhuman services; and one of whom from the minority party, to be appointed by,and to serve at the discretion of, the president of the senate.
(c) The committee shall have co-chairpersons, one appointedby the speaker of the house of representatives and one by the president of thesenate.
(d) The committee may review or study any matter related tothe provision of health care services and long-term care that it considers ofsignificance to the citizens of Rhode Island, including the availability ofhealth care, the quality of health care, the effectiveness and efficiency ofmanaged care systems, the efficiency and the operation of state health careprograms, and the availability of improved processes or new technologies toachieve more effective and timely resolution of disputes, better communication,speedier, more reliable and less costly administrative processes, claims,payments, and other matters involving the interaction among any or all ofgovernment, employers, consumers of health care, providers, health carefacilities, insurers and others. The committee may request information from anyhealth care provider, health care facility, insurer or others. The committeemay request and shall receive from any instrumentality of the state, includingthe department of human services, the department of business regulation, thedepartment of health, the department of mental health, retardation, andhospitals, the department of elderly affairs, and the long-term carecoordinating council, or any other governmental advisory body or commission,including, but not limited to, the governor's advisory council on health, suchinformation and assistance as it deems necessary for the proper execution ofits powers and duties under this section, including the annual report of thegovernor's advisory council on health. The committee will undertake acomprehensive study of the state's regulatory structure for health insuranceincluding the roles, relevance, impact and coordination of current state lawsand agencies involved in insurance oversight. This study will include anynecessary recommendations for the restructuring of the state's laws andregulatory bodies. Said recommendations will be made to the speaker of thehouse and the president of the senate on or before March 1, 2005.
(e) In addition to the notification regarding regulationsrequired under § 40-8.4-10(b), the department of human services shall filewith the permanent joint committee on health care oversight a detailed plan forthe implementation of the programs created under this chapter by August 1, 2000.
(f) The committee shall have the power to hold hearings,shall meet at least quarterly, may make recommendations to the generalassembly, state agencies, private industry or any other entity, and shallreport to the general assembly on its findings and recommendations as itdetermines appropriate.