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History
- Reported referred to ways and means
- Referred to social services
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Relates to payments for residential health care facilities in Essex county
In Senate Committee · Health · Sponsor Betty Little
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:A10678
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to payments for residential health care facilities in Essex county
Purpose
To ensure the provisions of the long term care services for frail and impoverished elderly patients, and to prevent future closures of nursing homes.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: This legislation will create a special Medicaid reimbursement rate 40% higher than what is called for in previ- ous regulations. The rate will apply to facilities that meet five of the six criteria: 75% or more Medicaid payer mix, hospital affiliation, not-for-profit status, the creation or retention of at least 150 jobs at the facility, location in a non-metropolitan statistical area and in a county where more than 15% of the population is aged 65 and located in Essex County.
Section 2 Effective date.
Justification
Essex County is at a disadvantage because the rate at which Medicaid reimburses nursing homes has been significantly below the cost to provide care. In many cases, the reimbursement has been $50 to $60 below cost, per Medicaid patient, per day, resulting in losses that have exceeded $1,500,000 a year for some nursing homes. This has caused a situation where the nursing homes that have high percentages of patients on Medicaid are being forced to shut down, and lay off workers.
In the past year, two hospital based Long Term Care Units have closed in the North Country. In Rouses Point, one facility has closed in the past 48 months, resulting in the loss of over fifty jobs. In the Adirondack Park, where any single health care facility is 50 miles away from the next. The loss of one 156 bed nursing home would sharply curtail the hospital's ability to discharge patients, thereby escalating Medicaid cost while the hospital patient awaits nursing home placement.
As such, this legislation is necessary to avoid significant loss of jobs and closure of facilities where the percentage of residents on Medicaid is very high, and where rates of poverty are substantially higher than the statewide average. In Essex County, 14.7% of the individuals are at or below the poverty level.
Legislative history
New Bill
Fiscal implications
To be determined
EFFECTIVE This act shall take effect immediately.
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Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.