A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 50-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to long-term care services for patients with ventilator or psychiatric needs.
Summary
SB 2316 would create a new section of North Dakota Century Code directing the Department of Health and Human Services to organize long-term care services for individuals with ventilator or psychiatric needs. The bill requires the department to establish four service regions across the state and contract with a provider in each region to deliver those services. It also authorizes the department to work with neighboring states to ensure access when in-state services are not available.
If the department cannot secure a provider, the bill requires the state to pay the cost of care at a certified long-term care facility in another state. In addition, a North Dakota long-term care facility could receive extra funding equal to the added cost of out-of-state care if it can document that the patient has ventilator or psychiatric care needs and had been receiving services out of state in the prior year.
Impact
The bill would have added a new state-level framework for financing and arranging specialized long-term care for patients with ventilator or psychiatric needs, including a regional contracting system and a fallback obligation to cover out-of-state placement costs. It would have affected the Department of Health and Human Services, long-term care facilities, and patients requiring high-acuity services, while potentially shifting some care and funding back into North Dakota facilities by offering supplemental reimbursement tied to prior out-of-state treatment. Because the bill failed on Senate second reading, it did not become law and did not change the Century Code.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been motivated by concern over access to specialized long-term care and the need to keep vulnerable patients closer to home. However, the strong defeat on Senate second reading, 5 yeas to 41 nays, indicates little legislative support overall. With no committee transcript available, the recorded vote is the main indicator of sentiment, and it suggests the proposal was not broadly accepted by the chamber.
Contention
The main point of contention likely centered on whether the state should mandate regional contracts and assume financial responsibility for out-of-state care when providers are unavailable. Supporters would have viewed the bill as a necessary access and continuity-of-care measure for patients with ventilator or psychiatric needs, while opponents likely questioned the cost, administrative burden, and feasibility of requiring the department to secure providers in every region. The large margin of defeat suggests concerns about implementation and fiscal exposure outweighed support for the access goals.
A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 50-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to long-term care services for patients with ventilator or psychiatric needs.
AN ACT to create and enact a new section to chapter 26.1-45 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to long-term care insurance policy terms and claim payments.
A BILL for an Act to create and enact a new section to chapter 50-06 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to the creation of the dementia response program; and to provide an appropriation.