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Amend the bill by striking out all of section 1 and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1. MaineCare settlements to hospitals. Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Department of Health and Human Services shall, when carrying out final and interim settlements of payments to hospitals for services provided to MaineCare members, pay all final settlements for hospital fiscal years 2003 and earlier prior to paying interim settlements for services for hospital fiscal years 2005 and later. Nothing in this section limits the department's authority to:
1. Make ongoing MaineCare payments for services being rendered during the current fiscal year; or
2. Provide partial settlements for hospital fiscal years 2004 and later to certain hospitals in need of such relief in order to relieve financial hardship.
The department shall adopt rules to implement this section. Rules adopted pursuant to this section are routine technical rules as defined by the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment clarifies that the Department of Health and Human Services may provide relief to hospitals with financial hardship, while at the same time prioritizing final settlements for hospital fiscal years 2003 and earlier.