Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Services, under which qualified low-income persons are provided with health care services.
Under existing law, the department audits providers to determine whether any overpayments have been made for Medi-Cal services and, subject to an appeals process, the department is empowered to collect overpayments determined to have been made pursuant to these audits. Existing law also provides that whenever, pursuant to an audit conducted by the department, an overpayment for Medi-Cal services has been made to certain categories of hospitals located in Kern or Monterey Counties for services rendered from January 1, 1992, to December 31, 1997, the department may forgive a hospital the debt arising from the overpayment and interest.
This bill would expand the application of this provision to hospitals otherwise meeting the requirements of this provision, but which are located in San Bernardino County.
This bill would provide that when the department determines pursuant to an audit that a hospital owes a debt arising from an overpayment for Medi-Cal services, and the hospital seeks relief from the debt by the introduction of a bill in the Legislature to authorize the department to forgive the debt, the appropriate policy committee chairperson or fiscal committee chairperson may request an assessment of the legislation from the department, as specified.