[§346-29.3]  Medical assistanceapplication information; annual report; public disclosure.  (a)  Eachapplicant for medical assistance under any program administered by thedepartment shall identify the employer of the proposed beneficiary of medicalassistance.  If the proposed beneficiary is unemployed, the applicant formedical assistance shall identify the employer of any adult who is responsiblefor providing all or some of the proposed beneficiary's support.

For the purposes of this section, "proposedbeneficiary" means any person who files an application for health carebenefits or hospital care for the person, or any other individual on whosebehalf an application is filed, including children or other dependents of theapplicant.

(b)  Before October 1 of each year, thedepartment shall submit to the legislature a written annual report identifyingall employers identified pursuant to subsection (a) who employ twenty-five ormore beneficiaries of medical assistance programs administered by the department. In determining whether the twenty-five-employee threshold is met, thedepartment shall include all beneficiaries employed by the employer and itssubsidiaries at all locations within the State.  In the event the departmentrequires assistance to ascertain information, such as an employer'ssubsidiaries or location, the department shall consult with the department ofcommerce and consumer affairs.  The report shall include:

(1)  Each employer's name and names of subsidiaries,if appropriate, that employ beneficiaries of department medical assistanceprograms;

(2)  The location of the employer;

(3)  For each department medical assistance program,the total number of the employer's employees and dependents who are enrolled inthe program; and

(4)  The total cost to the State per year of providingmedical assistance benefits for the employees and enrolled dependents of eachidentified employer.

The report shall not include the name of anyindividual medical assistance program beneficiary and shall be subject toapplicable privacy standards established under federal Medicaid regulations andthe administrative simplification provisions of the Health InsurancePortability and Accountability Act of 1996, P.L. 104-191.

(c)  The department shall make the annualreport available to the public through any means the director deemsappropriate. [L Sp 2005, c 10, §2]