Relates to applying a special Medicaid rate for releasees in facilities or discrete units within facilities that provide long term nursing or medical services.
Summary
This bill amends New York Public Health Law to extend existing special Medicaid rate protections to a new category of nursing home or facility services: facilities or discrete units that provide long-term nursing or medical services for persons returning from incarceration. The bill adds these “releasee” facilities to two rate-setting provisions in section 2808 of the Public Health Law, alongside existing special-rate categories such as AIDS units, traumatic brain injury units, ventilator-dependent units, behavioral intervention units, and child-focused facilities.
Under the bill, these facilities would be treated similarly to the other designated categories for purposes of Medicaid reimbursement. In one provision, they would receive rates no less than the equivalent of the rates in effect on December 31, 2006, trended forward for inflation for applicable rate periods. In the second provision, the non-capital component of their rates would reflect the rates in effect on January 1, 2009, adjusted for inflation and rate appeals, subject to existing statutory limitations. The bill would take effect one year after becoming law.
Impact
The bill would expand state Medicaid reimbursement rules by adding a new protected rate category for facilities serving people returning from incarceration. This would affect Public Health Law section 2808, which governs nursing home and related facility rate-setting, and would likely increase or stabilize Medicaid payments for qualifying providers that serve this population. The practical effect would be to support long-term care and medical service capacity for releasees by ensuring reimbursement levels comparable to other specialized care settings.
Sentiment
Based on the bill text and caption, the measure appears generally supportive of a targeted health-care access and reentry policy, with no recorded committee transcript or vote history indicating opposition or debate. The framing suggests a policy goal of helping formerly incarcerated individuals access necessary long-term nursing or medical care after release. Because no votes or hearing remarks are provided, there is no documented legislative sentiment beyond the bill’s apparent intent and sponsor support.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the creation of a special Medicaid rate for a newly defined group of facilities serving persons returning from incarceration. Supporters would likely view this as a necessary reimbursement adjustment to ensure access to care for a vulnerable reentry population, while critics could question whether the state should create another protected rate category or whether the fiscal impact on Medicaid is justified. Another possible issue is how facilities would qualify as serving “persons returning from incarceration” and whether the category could be narrowly or broadly applied.
Same As
Relates to applying a special Medicaid rate for releasees in facilities or discrete units within facilities that provide long term nursing or medical services.
Relates to applying a special Medicaid rate for releasees in facilities or discrete units within facilities that provide long term nursing or medical services.
Relates to applying a special Medicaid rate for releasees in facilities or discrete units within facilities that provide long term nursing or medical services.
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise regulations so as to specifically require Medicare skilled nursing facilities and Medicaid nursing facilities to report the identity of medical directors and related information.