relative to establishing the disproportionate share hospital fund.

This bill creates a new Disproportionate Share Hospital Fund within the Department of Health and Human Services to manage funds designated for hospitals that serve a high volume of low-income and uninsured patients. The law requires that all revenue collected for this specific purpose be placed into a separate account that cannot be used for other expenses. These nonlapsing funds will be continuously allocated to the department to distribute money between hospitals, ensuring they can meet federal requirements for examining their financial status related to uncompensated care. Once signed into law, the fund operates immediately to support the redistribution of resources among eligible healthcare facilities.