BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1475
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Date of Hearing: April 21, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
Dave Jones, Chair
AB 1475 (Solorio) - As Introduced: February 27, 2009
SUBJECT : Emergency medical services.
SUMMARY : Limits the administrative costs for money deposited
into county Maddy Emergency Medical Services Funds (Maddy Fund)
to actual administrative costs, or 10% of the money collected,
whichever amount is lower . Limits administrative costs of money
deposited into the Maddy Fund from an additional penalty
assessment authorized until January 2014 to the actual
administrative costs, or 10% of the money collected, whichever
amount is lower .
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes each county to establish a Maddy Fund for
reimbursement of EMS-related costs.
2)Requires the costs of administering the Maddy Fund to be
reimbursed based on actual administrative costs, not to exceed
10% of the amount of the Maddy Fund.
3)Authorizes, until January 1, 2014, counties to levy an
additional penalty in the amount of $2 for every $10 upon
fines, penalties, and forfeitures collected for criminal
offenses for deposit into the Maddy Fund.
4)Requires the costs of administering money deposited into the
Maddy Fund pursuant to 3) above to be reimbursed from the
money collected, not to exceed 10%.
FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has not been analyzed by a fiscal
committee.
COMMENTS :
1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL . This bill is sponsored by the
California Chapter of the American College of Emergency
Physicians (Cal-ACEP) to make the language providing
reimbursement of the administrative costs to the counties
consistent by limiting county administrative costs to the
AB 1475
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actual administrative costs, or 10% of the money collected,
whichever amount is lower. The administrative cost
reimbursement provisions for the Maddy Fund are different in
the code section establishing an additional penalty assessment
than it is for the language in the underlying Maddy Fund
statute. For the additional assessment, the language
pertaining to the administrative costs states administrative
costs must be reimbursed from the money collected, not to
exceed 10% of the Maddy Fund. For the other administrative
cost cap for Maddy Funds, the language states that the actual
administrative costs must be reimbursed not to exceed 10% of
the Maddy Fund. This bill would require both provisions to be
reimbursed in an amount that does not exceed the actual
administrative costs or 10% of the money collected, whichever
amount is lower .
2)MADDY FUNDS . Existing law authorizes each county to establish
a Maddy Fund. After the costs of administration are deducted,
the Maddy Fund is required to reimburse physicians and
hospitals for patients who do not make payment for emergency
medical services and for other emergency medical services
purposes, as determined by each county, as follows:
a) Fifty-eight percent for physicians for emergency
services provided by physicians in general acute care
hospitals, except those physicians employed by county
hospitals, that provide basic or comprehensive emergency
services up to the time the patient is stabilized;
b) Twenty-five percent for hospitals providing
disproportionate trauma and emergency medical care
services; and
c) Seventeen percent for other emergency medical services
purposes as determined by each county, including, but not
limited to, the funding of regional poison control centers.
Approximately 50 counties have established Maddy Funds.
Counties finance these funds through several revenue sources,
including penalty assessments on certain criminal and traffic
violations and a portion of the fees from people attending
traffic violator schools. Existing law authorizes counties to
levy an additional penalty assessment until January 1, 2014
for emergency medical services.
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3)PREVIOUS LEGISLATION .
a) SB 1773 (Alarcon) Chapter 841, Statutes of 2006,
authorizes, until January 1, 2009, county boards of
supervisors to levy additional penalties on criminal
offenses for emergency medical services.
b) SB 1236 (Padilla), Chapter 60, Statutes of 2008 extends
the sunset date from January 1, 2009 to January 1, 2014,
the provisions of SB 1773.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California Chapter of the American College of Emergency
Physicians (sponsor)
California Ambulance Association
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Scott Bain / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097