TITLE 56

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND WELFARE

CHAPTER 25 [26]

MERIT-BASED HEALTH CARE ACT

56-2502 [56-2602].  legislative findings and intent. (1) The legislature finds that:

(a)  Medicaid participation is voluntary and subject to reasonable conditions imposed by the state as a steward of public funds;

(b)  Employment decisions based on merit and professional qualifications promote patient trust and high-quality care; and

(c)  Employment practices unrelated to job-related qualifications or business necessity undermine program integrity, workforce competency, and the efficient use of public funds.

(2)  It is the intent of the legislature to:

(a)  Ensure that health care employment and contracting decisions funded by medicaid are based on individual merit, qualifications, and clinical competency;

(b)  Prohibit the use of state medicaid funds to support ideological or discriminatory employment practices; and

(c)  Preserve compliance with all applicable federal civil rights and medicaid requirements.

(3)  Nothing in this chapter is intended to authorize discrimination prohibited by federal law or to interfere with patient-specific medical decision-making.

History:

[(56-2602) 56-2502, added 2026, ch. 289, sec. 1, p. 1207.]