Risk Pool Funding

SSB 3171, the Health and Human Services Supplemental, passed out of committee on Thursday. This bill backfills some cuts experienced by the Departments of Human Services and Health, but provides no relief for the cut taken from county MH/DD budgets. In addition, the bill reallocates unused FY 2010 Risk Pool funds to the State Payment Program. While ISAC supports this reallocation, the bill also seeks to redirect the $400,000 from FY 2009 that counties have been ordered to repay the Risk Pool to the State Payment Program. ISAC has argued against this move because these counties have suffered state cuts since June 30, 2009 that have wiped out more than the amount that they were over 5% in their fund balances. As has traditionally been the case, the state is much more inclined to fund their portion of the MH/DD system than the portion managed by the counties.