2011 Senate Bill 348 / Public Act 142

Revise medical services taxes to get more federal Medicaid money

Signed by Gov. Rick Snyder

Feb. 20, 2011

Introduced in the Senate

April 27, 2011

Introduced by Sen. Roger Kahn (R-32)

To repeal a 6 percent use tax on medical services health care providers, and replace it with a 1 percent tax on health insurance claims. These taxes are designed to “game” the federal Medicaid system in ways that result in higher federal payments to Michigan’s medical welfare system. This bill creates the new tax.

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

June 29, 2011

Motion by Sen. Arlan Meekhof (R-30)

To discharge the Committee on Appropriations from further consideration of the bill, and move it directly to the full Senate for a vote.

The motion passed 24 to 14 (details)

Substitute offered

To replace the previous version of the bill with one that caps at $400 million the total annual amount of revenue the new tax would be allowed to extract.

The substitute passed by voice vote

June 30, 2011

Amendment offered by Sen. Bert Johnson (D-2)

To require the state to post information on a website on the "compliance, effectiveness, and efficiency" of health insurance providers.

The amendment passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Sen. Glenn Anderson (D-6)

To appropriate $5.9 million from the proposed tax to a "Healthy Michigan Fund," undoing a cut of that amount to this program adopted as part of the 2012 budget.

The amendment failed 17 to 21 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Steve Bieda (D-9)

To exempt school district employee health insurance from the claims tax.

The amendment failed 19 to 19 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Steve Bieda (D-9)

To revise details of the tax as applied to self-funded group insurance claims.

The amendment failed 19 to 19 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. John Gleason (D-27)

To appropriate $31.8 million from the proposed tax to a graduate medical education subsidy program defunded in the 2012 budget.

The amendment failed 15 to 23 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Bert Johnson (D-2)

To exempt supplementary Medicare plans from the tax.

The amendment failed 17 to 21 (details)

Amendment offered by Sen. Tonya Schuitmaker (R-20)

To authorize a credit against the proposed tax in the amount of insurance company premium taxes paid on group disability and dental insurance policies.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Sen. Tupac Hunter (D-5)

To state explicitly that the proposed tax is in fact a tax and not an "assessment".

The amendment failed 15 to 22 (details)

Passed in the Senate 26 to 9 (details)

Received in the House

June 30, 2011

Referred to the Committee on Appropriations

Aug. 24, 2011

Reported without amendment

With the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.

Substitute offered

To replace the previous version of the bill with one that revises various details, but does was superseded by another substitute with more changes (see Moss substitute).

The substitute passed by voice vote

Substitute offered by Rep. Chuck Moss (R-40)

To replace the previous version of the bill with one that exempts federal medical social welfare program claims, and tightens the cap on the amount of revenue the revenue the tax could collect.

The substitute passed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Lisa Brown (D-39)

To exempt health insurance provided to local government and public school employees from the tax.

The amendment failed 43 to 64 (details)

Amendment offered by Rep. Richard LeBlanc (D-18)

To label the tax a tax instead of an "assessment".

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Aric Nesbitt (R-80)

To exempt group disability and dental insurance policy claims from the tax (by means of a tax credit to the insurer).

The amendment failed by voice vote

Amendment offered by Rep. Kate Segal (D-62)

To strip-out a $1 million appropriation to set up the tax collection apparatus, and an annual earmark of 1 percent of the revenue it collects to pay for its administration.

The amendment failed by voice vote

Passed in the House 65 to 42 (details)

To repeal a 6 percent use tax on medical services health care providers, and replace it with a 1 percent tax on health insurance claims. These taxes are designed to “game” the federal Medicaid system in ways that result in higher federal payments to Michigan’s medical welfare system. This bill creates the new tax.

Received in the Senate

Aug. 24, 2011

To concur with the House-passed version of the bill.

Passed in the Senate 31 to 7 (details)