Delaware General Assembly Pre-Game Show: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
The Big News? The substitute bill supposedly designed to control hospital healthcare costs will finally make it to the floor today. Having its priorities straight, the Senate will first rubber-stamp three of the annual corporate bills that contain language far exceeding any legislator’s ability to understand what’s in them. Here is today’s Senate Agenda.
OK, kids, check out the newly-minted SS2/SB 1 (Townsend). I see in the new bill everything that’s wrong with Delaware Way-ism. In particular, peruse the part of the synopsis that details how this bill differs from the first two attempts to reign in, among others, ChristianaCare:
Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill No. 1 differs from Senate Bill No. 1 in that it makes technical edits to definitions and it provides that the Department of Insurance and the State Employee Benefits Office shall lead a process, in consultation with Delaware hospitals, to recommend an appropriate methodology to determine and apply any inflationary or other applicable adjustments to a hospital’s Full Medicare Rate not otherwise captured in a hospital’s annual Medicare rate update by January 1, 2027. Senate Substitute No. 2 for Senate Bill No. 1 also adds an exemption from the aggregate unit price growth limits in § 2503(a)(12)a.3. of Title 18 for a hospital that is a Free-Standing Children’s Hospital, a hospital that qualifies as a Medicare-Dependent Rural Hospital on the grounds that it meets the definition of a Medicare-dependent hospital under 42 C.F.R. § 412.108 for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately preceding the applicable rate filing year, or an Urban Medicaid DSH Hospital.
Got that? The hospitals, those whose costs that the bill seeks to control, will now be able to negotiate every single item authorized by this bill. Oh, and several hospitals will be exempted from the bill. Am I wrong? I know we have at least one expert out there who can either set me straight or confirm my view. Typical Delaware Way shit. Gee, I wonder whether ChristianaCare will support the bill, oppose it, and/or once again go to court to stop the bill from being implemented.
‘…recognizes that the Public Education Funding Committee’s (PEFC) recommended hybrid model formula to determine public education funding is good public policy and that implementation of the hybrid model should not be delayed any longer than absolutely necessary. As such, this Act provides authority for the Department of Education (Department) to begin making the changes to systems that are necessary to implement the hybrid model for Fiscal Year 2028.’
Today’s House Agenda is, as you’d expect this time of year, mostly full of House bills. Each chamber wants to get their bills across to the other chamber in time for them to be considered by the end of Session.
I agree with HB 59 (Lynn), which ‘prohibit(s) the release or publication of an adult suspect’s name or photograph unless the individual is charged with or suspected of a felony and the release is necessary to protect the public’s safety.
Not sure how I feel about HB 360 (Snyder-Hall), which ‘requires political committees to submit quarterly campaign finance reports, as opposed to only annual reports. It removes the requirement that a political committee submit a campaign finance report 30 days before an election, but retains the requirement that a report be filed 8 days before an election.’ As someone who goes through these reports, I don’t like the elimination of the 30 day report, as that is where you’ll find the bulk of the info on $$’s raised and who the $$’s came from. I also question if this is necessary for the off-years. I do find it ironic, however, that Stephanie Bolden is on the bill as a co-sponsor as, quite frankly, her campaign finance reports rarely make sense.
I like HB 374 (Lambert), which establishes requirements to track the extent to which Delaware workers benefit from large public works projects over $3 mill. Hey, the state awards the contracts. Our workers should benefit.
No Senate committee meetings today.
There are a few House committees meeting today.
This bill, in particular, interests me. HB 363 (Berry) ‘changes the statutory speed limit for residential districts to 20 miles per hour. This Act provides a 5-year window for signage to be updated.’ I live in Arden. The speed limit on Harvey Road is the current statutory limit of 25 mph. It is routinely ignored. I believe it would be at least as routinely-ignored were it to be lowered to 20. Back when I worked for the General Assembly, these issues came up a lot. DELDOT folks told me that, when drivers believe the posted limit is unreasonable, they’re more likely to speed, not less likely. I don’t know if that’s true, or if it’s DELDOT dogma, but I for sure would want to speed-trap-proof this legislation. If it’s to be passed, do it on the basis of safety, not ‘gotcha’. I got caught headed into Kenton once. The speed limit dropped, without warning, from 40 to 25, and a cop was just waiting. Thankfully, there’s no reason why anyone would want to visit Kenton. If you’re thinking of going, don’t. But, I digress. Public Safety & Homeland Security
Yet another pointless ‘incentive’ (aka ‘tax break) for business:
This Act creates a tax credit for which accelerators may apply to incentivize the creation of industry and innovative businesses in Delaware. This tax credit may not reduce the recipient’s tax burden by more than 50% and the program will be administered by the Division of Revenue.
‘Only’ 50%? You just know it’s flying right through. Economic Development/Banking/Insurance & Commerce.
See ya tomorrow.
Donor lists should be alphabetized by surname, not by first name.
This change can be accomplished by regulation and does not require legislation.
this substitute hospital bill is bullshit. Townsend and NAvarro sold the farm.
mike puryzicki died
The so-called hospital cost-containment bill passed unanimously in the Senate.
That tells me one thing–it was so watered down that nobody had cause to vote against it.
I mean two things–the other being that the Honorables will brag about passing a hospital cost-containment bill even though it does nothing of the kind.
Stating the obvious, any cost-containment bill that raises no objections from ChristianaCare doesn’t do shit.
Stephanie Bolden will be 80 in August. When the Inspector General bill came up for a vote she was on her way home. Never mind marginal people all over the state needed help. Prisoners needed help. The homeless need help but Stephanie was just too tired to hang around to help poor and friendless voters to get help. That bill been hanging around 15 years the she has been in leg-hall.
I believe Rep. Bolden’s time has run out @ leg-hall. Being a protector of the old guard isn’t cutting it anymore
A NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN. NO MORE HOLD THEM DOWN AND BACK LEDGISLATORS. Double dipping is out of fashion. We need a new energetic person for the 2nd representative district.
Ask and ye shall receive
Reading the new substitute, I think Navarro and Townsend still get their whale. It reads to exempt Nemours, Tidal, and Saint Francis. There was conversation on the floor that Beebe can be exempt depending on the percent of patients they have that are Medicare. Not perfect, but makes some sense — Nemours patient population is largely non-DE (at the hospital, specifically), and Tidal and Saint Francis both were charging below the proposed prices anyway, so why hinder growth if they have any given they actually provide charity care / federal reimbursement problems they need to make up for financially somehow. ChristianaCare and BayHealth get more time to reduce their financial bloat, but it seems they must — for these markets. The big employers still don’t follow these rules, and I think the hospitals backed down because of that. They fought the Val hospital board because it went into that space.
I think the bold language you noted is more a question of whether anything insane happens to Medicare in a Trump Administration before that part of the bill goes into effect? The agencies wouldn’t have the authority to propose or require a different percentage than is in the law, seems like it shouldn’t be required they study it but not sure it’s harmful. Still wish there was enough debate today to actually explain it.
I am concerned too about how the prices will be set for services without federal rates. It seems like it says insurers propose them? But the insurers need the hospitals in their networks. Christiana is already forcing all women’s healthcare out Union Hospital (under Maryland’s good health care law) to their Newark site. Their public reasoning is lengthy but to me it is a red flag — they get paid more here.
Thanks for the analysis. As always, you offer keen insight.
Here’s what I think. Any bill purporting to control hospital costs that is endorsed by the Delaware Healthcare Association is a bill that will not control hospital costs.