AN ACT CONCERNING A RESPITE PILOT PROGRAM TO SAVE MEDICAID HOSPITALIZATION COSTS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Assembly convened:

Section 1. (Effective from passage) (a) Not later than October 1, 2013, the Commissioner of Social Services, in consultation with the Commissioner of Public Health, shall establish a five-year medical respite pilot program for homeless persons in the city of New Haven.

(b) The Commissioner of Social Services shall convene a pilot program planning group that includes, but is not limited to, a representative from: (1) Yale-New Haven Hospital, (2) the Columbus House Inc., and (3) other community service organizations. The planning group shall design a medical respite program that serves not less than one hundred fifty persons who require recuperative medical care but whose medical needs do not require hospitalization. The planning group shall pursue public and private funding sources for the medical respite program.

(c) The pilot medical respite program shall operate until July 1, 2018, and include, but not be limited to: (1) A twelve-bed unit equipped to provide care to persons with a projected average length of stay of four weeks, (2) twenty-four hour supervision of persons in the program, (3) referrals to health care providers, and (4) case management services, which include the provision of housing and support opportunities to help such persons avert homelessness.

(d) Not later than January 1, 2015, the pilot program planning group established pursuant to subsection (b) of this section shall submit a report, in accordance with section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committees of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to human services, public health and appropriations and the budgets of state agencies. The report shall include, but not be limited to: (1) The number of persons served since the start of the medical respite pilot program, (2) a fiscal analysis of projected Medicaid cost savings related to a decrease in hospital admissions and other health care costs for persons served by the program, (3) recommendations on whether the pilot program should be expanded, and (4) potential funding sources to expand the pilot program.