(a)(1) Beginning October 1, 2015, and except as provided in subsection (b) of this section and § 44-662.06, the District, through the Office of Tax and Revenue, may charge each hospital a fee based on its inpatient net patient revenue.

(2) The fee shall be charged at a uniform rate necessary to generate no more than $10.4 million. Of this amount, $1.4 million may be used to support the Medicaid Managed Care Organization rates for inpatient hospitalization. The remaining amount shall be used to support the maintenance of inpatient Medicaid Fee-for-Service rates at the District Fiscal Year (“DFY”) 2015 level of 98% of cost to non-specialty hospitals.

(3) The fee collected pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the Hospital Fund, established by § 44-662.02.

(b) A psychiatric hospital that is an agency or a unit of the District government is exempt from the fee imposed under subsection (a) of this section, unless the exemption is adjudged to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, in which case a psychiatric hospital that is an agency or a unit of the District government shall pay the fee imposed by subsection (a) of this section.

(c) By August 1, 2015, the Department shall submit a provider tax waiver application to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure the provisions of this chapter qualify as a broad-based health care related tax, as that term is defined in section 1903(w)(3)(B) of the Social Security Act.

(Oct. 22, 2015, D.C. Law 21-36, § 5074, 62 DCR 10905.)