Bill Text: MA H1072 | 2009-2010 | 186th General Court | Introduced


Bill Title: For an investigation by a special commission (including members of the General Court) of home health service rate cuts

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-08-30 - Accompanied a study order, see H05006 [H1072 Detail]

Download: Massachusetts-2009-H1072-Introduced.html

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

PRESENTED BY:

Sean Garballey

_______________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
                Court assembled:

                The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the passage of the accompanying bill:

An Act ORDERING A STUDY OF HOME HEALTH SERVICE RATE CUTS.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Sean Garballey

23rd Middlesex

Martin J. Walsh

13th Suffolk

Matthew C. Patrick

3rd Barnstable

Mark V. Falzone

9th Essex

Kevin G. Honan

17th Suffolk

Marie P. St. Fleur

5th Suffolk

Christine E. Canavan

10th Plymouth

Mary E. Grant

6th Essex

Matthew C. Patrick

3rd Barnstable

Christopher G. Fallon

33rd Middlesex

Benjamin Swan

11th Hampden

Stephen Stat Smith

28th Middlesex

Thomas M. Stanley

9th Middlesex

Thomas A. Golden, Jr.

16th Middlesex

Rosemary Sandlin

3rd Hampden

William G. Greene, Jr.

22nd Middlesex

William M. Straus

10th Bristol

Katherine Clark

32nd Middlesex

Steven J. D'Amico

4th Bristol

Willie Mae Allen

6th Suffolk

Richard J. Ross

9th Norfolk

A. Stephen Tobin

2nd Norfolk

Kevin J. Murphy

18th Middlesex

David B. Sullivan

6th Bristol

William Lantigua

16th Essex


 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_______________

In the Year Two Thousand and Nine

_______________




An Act ORDERING A STUDY OF HOME HEALTH SERVICE RATE CUTS.



                Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, by no later than July 31, 2009, the executive office of health and human services shall procure a full review of the decrease in rate of payment for skilled health services rendered to home health patients that was effective December 1, 2008. Said study shall analyze: 1. Background data, including cost analysis that supports the rate cut; 2. The effect of the rate cut on patients receiving care and agencies that administer that care; 3. The cost and duration for home health visits lasting 60 or more consecutive days and; 4. The short-term versus long-term cost-effectiveness of this amendment.

SECTION 2 Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special study commission to review the findings of the report commissioned in Section 1 of this Act. Said commission shall be comprised of the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs or their designees, the House and Senate Chairs of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing or their designees, the Chair for the House Committee on Ways & Means or their designee, the Senate Chair on Ways & Means or their designee, the Commissioner of the Division of Health Care Finance & Policy or their designee and one representative selected by each of the following: The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons. Further, at least one representative in addition to the commission members specified in this act will be a visiting nurse from a certified home health agency.

SECTION 3 Said commission shall convene within 10 days after submission of said study to the Legislature in order to review said findings; and further, shall meet monthly with the intention of incorporating findings into a recommendation for the Legislature. Said Commission shall submit said recommendations by no later than October 1st, 2009.

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