By John Munford
The Citizen
Fayette County
April 6, 2010
Two local Republican legislators were major players in the passage last week of a controversial new tax on all hospitals.
House Bill 307, cosponsored by Republican Rep. Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City, was approved with modifications by the Georgia Senate last week, where Republican Senator Ronnie Chance of Tyrone voted in favor of the bill.
Chance is Gov. Sonny Perdue's Senate floor leader. Ramsey is one of Perdue's floor leaders in the House of Representatives. Perdue strongly favored the original hospital tax bill, but has objected to the Senate changes.
The modifications resulted in the amended bill going back to the House.
Several Republicans voted against the tax bill, including Sen. Mitch Seabaugh of Coweta County, the majority whip in the Senate.
The bill — pushed by Gov. Perdue — creates a new “hospital tax” of 1.45 percent of net patient revenue at all Georgia hospitals whether they are for-profit or non-profit.
The revenue is needed to address a more than $300 million shortfall in the state’s Medicaid program for the upcoming fiscal year, according to a Senate spokesperson.
A portion of the hospital tax revenues will be used as matching funds for federal Medicaid funding, officials said. Another portion will be deposited into the state’s indigent care trust fund; yet another portion will be used to fund a Medicaid reimbursement rate increase of more than 12 percent for hospitals, officials said.
The bill is not yet headed to Gov. Perdue for his signature because the Senate changes to the bill must either be approved by the House or some sort of agreement must be reached between the two chambers.
To read more please tap link: http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/04-06-2010/sen-chance-rep-ramsey-key-players-tax-bill
Copyright 2010 Fayette Publishing, Inc.
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