An Act to address the financial sustainability of the Health Safety Net

This bill aims to improve the financial stability of Massachusetts' Health Safety Net, which provides healthcare to uninsured and underinsured residents. It requires the state to transfer a set minimum amount from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund to the Health Safety Net Trust Fund and expands the sources of money for the fund to include federal reimbursements and interest earned on its assets. To address funding gaps, the bill introduces a new "supplemental surcharge" equal to 50% of any estimated revenue shortfall, which would be collected from hospitals and other payors. Additionally, it mandates that if a shortfall occurs, half of the deficit must be covered by adjusting how hospitals are reimbursed, while the other half is filled by this new surcharge. These changes directly affect acute hospitals, community health centers, and the entities that currently pay surcharges to support the safety net system.