What's happening
This bill allows residents of assisted living programs in New York to receive hospice services without having to leave their program.
Why it matters
Improves continuity of care. Residents in assisted living programs will no longer have to move to another facility to access hospice care, reducing stress and disruption during a vulnerable time.
Promotes patient-centered choices. The bill empowers individuals to remain in their chosen living environment while receiving end-of-life care, supporting dignity and personal preference.
Potentially streamlines care delivery. By allowing regulatory adjustments to avoid duplication of personal care services between hospice and assisted living providers, the bill could improve coordination and efficiency in service delivery.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Hospice Access in Assisted Living
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1814
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 16, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the social services law and the public health law, in relation to authorizing residents of assisted living programs to receive hospice services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subdivision 2 of section 461-l of the social services law is amended by adding a new subparagraph (iv) to read as follows:
(iv) Eligible persons receiving assisted living program services shall be permitted to access and receive hospice services from a provider under article forty of the public health law while continuing to remain in the assisted living program.
§ 2. Section 4012 of the public health law is amended by adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
6. Hospice services for residents of assisted living programs under section four hundred sixty-one-1 of the social services law; the commissioner may through regulation modify the scope of personal care services to prevent duplication of personal care services provided by hospice and the assisted living program.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07636-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law and the public health law, in relation to authorizing residents of assisted living programs to receive hospice services
Purpose
The purpose of this legislation is to allow residents of an assisted living facility who are receiving Medicaid to be able to access hospice services while remaining in their assisted living facility. Current Medicaid policy prevents terminally ill Assisted Living Program resi- dents from accessing hospice services, forcing many residents to trans- fer to a nursing home to receive hospice care.
Summary of provisions
Section 1: The Social Services law is amended to allow persons residing in assisted living program (ALP) facilities to receive hospice services. Such services will be reimbursed at the hospice rate, while ALP services are to remain at the ALP rate.
Section 2. The public health law is amended to allow payment for hospice services to residents of ALPs. The Commissioner of Health is authorized to promulgate regulations to ensure that hospice services in the ALP-are not duplicative of ALP services and are not reimbursed twice.
Section 3. Effective Date
Justification
The current Medicaid policy prevents terminally ill residents of an assisted living facility from accessing hospice services. As a result, many residents are forced to leave their home in theassisted living facility and transfer to a nursing home in their last few weeks of life. This end of life transfer from an assisted living facility during this difficult time creates additional burdens not only on the patient, but also on their family. As a result, not only must all parties involved cope with the terminal illness, but also now they must acclimate to new surroundings.
If assisted living residents receiving Medicaid were permitted to receive hospice services they would be able to remain in the Assisted Living Facility at the end of life. It is estimated that by allowing ALP's residents to access hospice services the Medicaid program would avoid costly nursing hcme stays and save an estimated $1.3 million.
Legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
It is estimated that by allowing ALP's patients access to hospice services the Medicaid program would save an estimated $1.3 million.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.