LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES 2008

 

1.   SUPPORT A REVENUE GENERATING BUDGET PLAN TO PRESERVE MEDICAID FUNDING

Medicaid provides essential funding for Michigan’s most vulnerable citizens.  Reductions in Medicaid funding will affect the economic viability of the healthcare industry which is Michigan’s largest employer, have an adverse affect on the state economy, and hurt consumers.   

 

2. USE ALL MEDICAID FUNDING EFFECTIVELY IN LONG TERM CARE: PROMOTE HOME AND COMMUNITY BASED CARE

Providing more home and community based care instead of nursing home care responds to consumer desires, provides more options for long term care consumers, serves more people for the same amount of money, follows the national trend, benefits vulnerable citizens across the state, and begins to fulfill the states obligations to people with disabilities under federal law.  

Enact “Money Follows the Person” which permits Medicaid long term care funding to pay for services in the setting the consumer chooses;

Double funding for the MiChoice Home and Community Based Waiver program to eliminate the 4,000 person waiting list and provide adequate daily reimbursement levels to meet consumers’ needs. Support nursing home residents’ transitions to the community.  

-         Permit MiChoice recipients to receive waiver services where they choose to live including in adult foster care and homes for the aged.

-         Remove hourly caps on Home Help services

 

III.             IMPROVE QUALITY OF STAFF IN THE LONG TERM CARE SYSTEM

         Lack of sufficient, adequately trained staff is the primary cause of neglect. 

-        Require minimum number of 1 certified nursing assistant for every 8 nursing home residents.  Require facilities to halt new admissions if, on any two consecutive days, they fail to meet minimum staffing requirements. 

-         Audit nursing home payroll data to determine sufficiency of staff and accuracy of staffing reports; sanction facilities for inaccurate reports.  Do not include nurses in determining minimum hours of care per resident since nurses often perform administrative functions rather than providing hands on care.

-         Establish a competency standard for staff who provide care to persons with dementia in any long-term setting.

-         Establish adequate training requirements for staff in assisted living facilities and for home care workers.

 

IV.             IMPROVE NURSING HOME CONSUMERS RIGHTS AND LICENSED PROVIDERS’ ACCOUNTABILITY

Through its Medicaid program, Michigan taxpayers pay nursing homes almost $2 billion per year, but many Michigan nursing homes regularly provide substandard care.  The state must demand quality across all long-term care settings.

-        Authorize Medicaid officials and consumers to put payments in escrow accounts if licensed long term care facilities fail to meet Michigan or federal standards.

-        Increase nursing facility payments to victims of rights violations from $100 to $1500 per incident. 

             -     Require DCH to take all steps necessary to meet state and federal requirements for prompt and appropriate investigations of consumer complaints in nursing homes. Require DCH to report quarterly to the Department regarding their progress in meeting deadlines and eliminating backlog and to provide adequate data regarding the percentage of consumer complaints that are substantiated

-         Require enforcement actions be taken swiftly when violations are discovered, that sanctions match the severity of violations, and that penalties are increased for repeated or uncorrected violations. 

-         Require the Department to impose an automatic ban on admissions in egregious situations until the facility has resolved all deficiencies.  

-         Require all licensed facilities to have both air conditioners and sprinklers in all resident rooms and areas of the facility.