Assessments; Health Care Trust Fund.

(1) The data collection and analysis activities of the agency shall be financed, in part, by an assessment on:

(a) Hospitals in an amount to be determined annually by the agency, but not to exceed 0.04 percent of the gross operating expenses of each hospital for the provision of hospital services for its last fiscal year. Every new hospital shall pay its initial assessment upon being licensed by the state and shall base its assessment payment during the first year of operation upon its projections for gross operating expenses for that year. Each hospital under new ownership shall pay its initial assessment for the first year of operation under new ownership based on its gross operating expenses for the last fiscal year under previous ownership. The assessments shall be levied and collected quarterly.

(b) Nursing homes in an amount set by the agency to cover the agency’s approved budget. The agency shall calculate the amount to be collected per bed, rounded to the nearest whole dollar. All assessments collected under this section which are due after the date of notification by the agency shall be at a rate sufficient to cover the agency’s approved budget. Assessments shall be levied and collected annually by the agency. Each new nursing home shall pay its initial assessment upon being licensed, and each nursing home under new ownership shall pay its initial assessment under the new ownership based on its number of beds.

(2) All moneys collected are to be deposited into the Health Care Trust Fund created pursuant to s. 408.16.

(3) Any amounts raised by the collection of assessments provided for in this section which are not required to meet appropriations in the budget act for the current fiscal year shall be available to the agency in succeeding years.

(4) Hospitals operated by a state agency are exempt from the assessments required under this section.