New Jersey’s Governor Corzine just signed a package of four health care bills.
S1796/A2608 gives the Department of Health and Senior Services the authority and information needed to monitor a hospital finances. The aim is to create an early warning system that identifies distressed hospitals. Four hospitals have closed in NJ this year, and another three closed in 2007 due to financial concerns.
A2609/S1797 requires that hospitals charge no more than 15 percent above the Medicare rate when billing the uninsured.
A2607/S1794 requires all acute-care and state psychiatric hospitals to conduct a public meeting for the community it serves once per year.
S1795/A2606 mandates comprehensive training for all hospital board members as a means of increasing accountability in hospital management, the first law of it’s kind in the USA.
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