HLS 201ES-111 ORIGINAL
2020 First Extraordinary Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 7
BY REPRESENTATIVE FREEMAN
ELDERLY: Establishes a joint subcommittee of the House Committee on Appropriations
and the Committee on Health and Welfare to study and compile information on
projected future demand and state expenditures for state-provided long-term supports
and services for the elderly and persons with adult-onset disabilities
1 A RESOLUTION
2To authorize and request the chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the
3 House Committee on Health and Welfare, acting jointly, to appoint a joint
4 subcommittee composed of members from each committee to study and compile
5 projected future demand and expenditures for state-provided long-term supports and
6 services for the elderly and persons with adult-onset disabilities, and to report
7 findings to the House of Representatives prior to the convening of the 2021 Regular
8 Session.
9 WHEREAS, every day, more and more members of the largest generation of
10Americans in modern history require long-term supports and services provided by state and
11private facilities; and
12 WHEREAS, states across the nation face a serious challenge in providing quality
13long-term supports and services to these citizens; and
14 WHEREAS, the COVID-19 global pandemic brought to light vulnerabilities in how
15services are currently provided to this valued portion of our population; and
16 WHEREAS, as of June 3, 2020, according to data supplied by the Louisiana
17Department of Health, the average age of victims of the COVID-19 pandemic in Louisiana
18was seventy-five and the disease exacted a disproportionate toll on our black citizens; and
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HR NO. 7
1 WHEREAS, providing quality services to our aging citizens in addition to
2implementing precautions to help keep them safe in the event of another pandemic is likely
3to require a larger portion of state and federal funding; and
4 WHEREAS, even without the added expense of implementing protections against
5future pandemics, current state funding levels for state-provided long-term supports and
6services are inadequate to meet existing demand as thousands of citizens are unable to access
7these services when needed; and
8 WHEREAS, adding to the challenge, more non-elderly adults will also increase
9demand for state-provided long-term supports and services due to disabilities or chronic
10illnesses, which also place them at a greater risk in the event there is another pandemic; and
11 WHEREAS, determining the gap between the projected state-provided supports and
12services resources and future demand for such resources is essential to effectively plan for
13and address the fiscal implication of meeting that demand; and
14 WHEREAS, to accurately gauge the fiscal impact of providing such services to all
15who need it requires estimating three separate trends: population demographics, expected
16state service utilization, and the cost of services provided by the state of Louisiana.
17 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
18Legislature of Louisiana hereby authorizes and requests the chairmen of the House
19Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Health and Welfare, acting in
20concert, to each appoint an equal number of members to a joint subcommittee for the
21purpose of studying and compiling projections on future demand and expenditures for state-
22provided long-term supports and services for the elderly and persons with adult-onset
23disabilities and reporting findings to the House of Representatives prior to the convening of
24the 2021 Regular Session.
25 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint subcommittee shall be composed of six
26members with equal representation from each standing committee, and the members of the
27joint subcommittee shall elect a chairman by majority vote at the subcommittee's first
28meeting.
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HR NO. 7
1 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the joint subcommittee to compile information
2on the following:
3 (1) Expected growth in the elderly and adult-onset disability populations needing
4state services between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2030.
5 (2) Expected need for long-term supports and services, provided by the state of
6Louisiana, within the elderly and adult-onset disability population, based on trends in health
7status.
8 (3) Expected costs to establish and maintain protocols to protect persons in long-
9term care facilities in the event of a future pandemic.
10 (4) Expected state service usage, based on factors such as current trends in service
11settings and future availability of informal caregiver support.
12 (5) Expected future costs by the state of Louisiana, including legally mandated
13increases in provider rates, legally mandated provider costs such as overtime pay, and trends
14in direct care wages and other costs.
15 (6) Options for decreasing expected future costs, such as optional care models and
16increased present-day funding for health initiatives that will benefit citizens as they age,
17delaying reliance on state-provided long-term support and care.
18 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in undertaking the study, the joint subcommittee
19shall conduct public hearings and seek input from the Louisiana Department of Health and
20the governor's office of elderly affairs, may seek input from any other agencies and
21organizations, and may request research, documents, or data and take any other actions it
22deems necessary to carry out its functions.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HR 7 Original 2020 First Extraordinary Session Freeman
Requests the chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee
on Health and Welfare to jointly appoint a subcommittee composed of members from each
committee to study and compile a report on projected future demand and expenditures for
state-provided long-term supports and services for the elderly and persons with adult-onset
disabilities, and to report its findings prior to the convening of the 2021 R.S.
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