(A) The medical liability insurance reimbursement program is hereby established. Free clinics and federally qualified health center look-alikes, including the clinics' and centers' staff and volunteer health care professionals and volunteer health care workers, may participate in the medical liability insurance reimbursement program established by this section. The coverage provided under the program shall be limited to claims that arise out of the diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients of free clinics and centers, as defined in division (D) of this section.

(B) A free clinic or federally qualified health center look-alike is eligible to receive reimbursement under the medical liability insurance reimbursement program for the premiums that the clinic or center pays for medical liability insurance coverage for the clinic or center, its staff, and volunteer health care professionals and health care workers. Free clinics and federally qualified health center look-alikes shall register with the department of health by the thirty-first day of January of each year in order to participate in and to obtain reimbursement under the program. Clinics that register with the department in accordance with this division shall receive priority over centers that register for reimbursement.

Free clinics and federally qualified health center look-alikes shall provide all of the following to the department of health at the time of registration:

(1) A statement of the number of volunteer and paid health care professionals and health care workers providing health care services at the free clinic or federally qualified health center look-alike at that time;

(2) A statement of the number of health care services rendered by the free clinic or federally qualified health center look-alike during the previous fiscal year;

(3) A signed form acknowledging that the free clinic or federally qualified health center look-alike agrees to follow its medical liability insurer's risk management and loss prevention policies;

(4) A copy of the medical liability insurance policy purchased by the free clinic or federally qualified health center look-alike, or the policy's declaration page, and documentation of the premiums paid by the clinic or center.

(C) The department of health shall reimburse free clinics and federally qualified health center look-alikes participating in the professional liability insurance reimbursement program for up to eighty per cent of the premiums that the clinic or center pays for medical liability insurance coverage up to twenty thousand dollars. Appropriations to the department of health may be made from the general fund of the state for this purpose.

(D) As used in this section:

(1) "Federally qualified health center look-alike" means a public or not-for-profit health center that meets the eligibility requirements to receive a federal public health services grant under the "Public Health Services Act," 117 Stat. 2020, 42 U.S.C. 254b, as amended, but does not receive grant funding.

(2) "Free clinic" means a nonprofit organization exempt from federal income taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986," as amended, or a program component of a nonprofit organization, whose primary mission is to provide health care services for free or for a minimal administrative fee to individuals with limited resources. A free clinic facilitates the delivery of health care services through the use of volunteer health care professionals and voluntary care networks. For this purpose, a free clinic shall comply with all of the following:

(a) If a free clinic does request a minimal administrative fee, a free clinic shall not deny an individual access to its health care services based on an individual's ability to pay the fee.

(b) A free clinic shall not bill a patient for health care services rendered.

(c) Free clinics shall not perform operations, as defined by divisions (A)(9) and (F)(1)(b) of section 2305.234 of the Revised Code.

A clinic is not a free clinic if the clinic bills medicaid, medicare, or other third-party payers for health care services rendered at the clinic, and receives twenty-five per cent or more of the clinic's annual revenue from the third-party payments.

(3) "Health care professional" and "health care worker" have the same meanings as in section 2305.234 of the Revised Code.

Effective Date: 09-29-2005; 03-30-2006; 2007 HB119 06-30-2007 .