Connecticut 2013 2013 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01087 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/06/2013

                    General Assembly  Raised Bill No. 1087
January Session, 2013  LCO No. 4278
 *04278_______HS_*
Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES
Introduced by:
(HS)

General Assembly

Raised Bill No. 1087 

January Session, 2013

LCO No. 4278

*04278_______HS_*

Referred to Committee on HUMAN SERVICES 

Introduced by:

(HS)

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 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 October 1, 2014, the 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 healthcare 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.

 


This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:
Section 1 from passage New section

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following sections:

Section 1

from passage

New section

Statement of Purpose: 

To save money in state Medicaid costs related to unnecessary hospitalization of homeless persons who require medical care but whose medical needs do not require hospitalization. 

[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not underlined.]