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Regular Session, 2012
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 166
BY REPRESENTATIVE SIMON
A RESOLUTION
To create and provide for the Study Group on Long Term Care Financing to develop the
design for a thorough and complete analysis of funding for long-term services and
supports (LTSS) that will be proposed in the 2013 legislative session with the goal
of increasing options for LTSS in Louisiana.
WHEREAS, Louisiana ranks among the top three states with waiting lists for the
elderly and people with physical disabilities seeking home- and community-based waiver
services; and
WHEREAS, eighty-nine percent of AARP members have indicated that they want
to age in place and to stay in their homes as long as possible; and
WHEREAS, there are challenges in financing long-term care under the Medicaid
program to properly align resources to ensure access to needed services and provide
cost-effective high quality services and supports to low-income residents of the state; and
WHEREAS, a study of financing LTSS would identify opportunities to increase
efficiency in a way that would be both cost-effective and provide greater choice, control, and
life satisfaction for people who need these services; and
WHEREAS, given the role of Medicaid, as the primary source of payment for long-
term care services, states will be under increasing pressure to control overall costs in their
Medicaid programs bringing new uncertainties for the provision of home- and
community-based services; and
WHEREAS, for those with low-care needs, LTSS are likely to be lower cost as well;
and ENROLLEDHR NO. 166
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WHEREAS, Medicaid expenditures fund the Community Choices Waiver which has
a waiting list of twenty-eight thousand people with some waiting as long as four years and
also the Adult Day Health Center waiver with a waiting list of two thousand one hundred
fifty-two people and a wait of one-third of a year; and
WHEREAS, consumer demand for home- and community-based services is not being
met; and
WHEREAS, the state of Louisiana has already begun efforts to rebalance the state's
long-term care systems to provide greater access to noninstitutional home- and community-
based alternatives with a goal of assisting people to remain a part of their communities; and
WHEREAS, in less than twenty years, Louisiana's population above the age of sixty-
five will grow by eighty-one percent as Baby Boomers advance in age.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby create the Study Group on Long Term Care Financing
to examine funding and reimbursement of all LTSS and to make recommendations related
to funding options for LTSS that allow Louisianians access to a broad array of services
across the continuum of care.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study group created herein shall consist of
the following members:
(1) The president of Louisiana Enhancing Aging With Dignity through
Empowerment and Respect (LEADER).
(2) The director of the Coalition for Choice to Advance Long Term Care Options
in Louisiana or his designee.
(3) The director of the Louisiana Budget Project or his designee.
(4) The executive director of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association or his
designee.
(5) The secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals or his designee.
(6) The assistant secretary of the office of aging and adult services of the
Department of Health and Hospitals or his designee.
(7) The state director of AARP Louisiana or his designee.
(8) The director of the bureau of health services financing of the Department of
Health and Hospitals or his designee. ENROLLEDHR NO. 166
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(9) The president and chief executive officer of the Council for a Better Louisiana
or his designee.
(10) The president of the Advocacy Center or his designee.
(11) The chair of the Louisiana Assisted Living Association or his designee.
(12) A consumer of long-term care services to be appointed by the secretary of the
Department of Health and Hospitals.
(13) The commissioner of administration or his designee.
(14) The president of the Louisiana State Medical Society or his designee.
(15) The president of Public Affairs Research Council or his designee.
(16) The president of the LeadingAge Gulf States or his designee.
(17) A nurse practitioner with a geriatric specialty appointed by the president of the
Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners.
(18) A home- and community-based provider appointed by the secretary of the
Department of Health and Hospitals.
(19) The director of the Governor's Office of Elderly Affairs or his designee.
(20) The assistant secretary of the office for citizens with developmental disabilities
or his designee.
(21) One member of the House Committee on Health and Welfare appointed by the
chairman.
(22) The president of the Louisiana Council on Aging Directors Association or his
designee.
(23) The president of the Louisiana Aging Network Association or his designee.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the secretary of the Department of Health and
Hospitals shall issue the first invitation for the initial meeting of the study group no later
than August 13, 2012.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of this study group shall serve
without compensation, except per diem or expense reimbursement to which they may be
individually entitled as members of their constituent organizations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the study group shall elect one
member to serve as chairman and one member to serve as vice chairman of the study group. ENROLLEDHR NO. 166
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all departments, boards, agencies, officers, and
institutions of the state and all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the study group in
providing information to assist the study group in carrying out its mission.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study group shall examine financing options
for LTSS, including Medicaid funds, provider fees, reimbursements for providers, federal
grant opportunities, tax incentives, and Medicare cost sharing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the framework for discussion during the study
will include but not be limited to the following:
(1)A short history of long-term care as a Medicaid service.
(2)The legal environment, including legislative governance and policies for
long-term care, regulatory environment and practice for long-term care, and CMS
involvement in state long-term care policies.
(3)Financial and rate setting operating rules and policies.
(4)Non-Medicaid long-term care supports and services provided by the state and
others.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study group shall make a written report of
its recommendations for study design to the House of Representatives of the Legislature of
Louisiana by March 15, 2013.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
to the president of LEADER, the director of the Coalition for Choice to Advance Long Term
Care Options in Louisiana, the director of the Louisiana Budget Project, the executive
director of the Louisiana Nursing Home Association, the secretary of the Department of
Health and Hospitals, the assistant secretary of the office of aging and adult services of the
Department of Health and Hospitals, the state director of AARP Louisiana, the director of
the bureau of health services financing of the Department of Health and Hospitals, president
and CEO of the Council for a Better Louisiana, the executive director of the Advocacy
Center, the chair of the Louisiana Assisted Living Association, the commissioner of
administration, the president of the Louisiana State Medical Society, the president of the
Public Affairs Research Council, the president of LeadingAge Gulf States, the president of
the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners, the director of the Governor's Office of ENROLLEDHR NO. 166
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Elderly Affairs, and the assistant secretary of the office for citizens with developmental
disabilities of the Department of Health and Hospitals.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES