NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A1493
SPONSOR: Paulin TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to state aid for home
health care to meet community need
PURPOSE:
To update the current public health law provisions for annual state aid
to meet community need for Certified Home Health Agency services across
regions of NYS.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
SECTION 1: Declares the legislative necessity of the act to meet the
statutory, policy, and community-need requirements for Certified Home
Health Agency services in NYS.
SECTION 2: Amends public health law section 3615 to update the
state's statutory provisions for annual state aid for Certified Home
Health Agency services need.
Specifies the annual state aid funding level of $70 million (combined
state and federal shares) for Certified Home Health Agencies, or such
funding as the Legislature and Governor shall appropriate.
Current statute targets state aid for home health for purposes that
Include home health service access, quality, and coordination with
hospital partners. This bill would update these provisions to Include:
*Services to high-need, remote, underserved, diverse, or special care
patient needs;
*Specialized recruitment, training, retention, and safety initiatives to
provide for supply, and reduce vacancies, in home health nurses, thera-
pists, social workers and aide personnel;
*Technology support for delivery and efficiency of services, including
workforce efficiency and access.
Incorporates standards, expectations, and demonstrated record of service
commitment of agencies for receipt and use of state aid funds; specifies
the agency application process; provides that agencies may reapply for
ensuing years. Authorizes the State Department of Health to issue guid-
ance governing the provisions of the program,
SECTION 3: Sets forth the effective date as the first of April next
succeeding the date of enactment.
JUSTIFICATION:
Certified Home Health Care Agencies deliver essential health, therapeu-
tic and life-sustaining services for nearly 500,000 patients across NYS.
Services range from maternal, infant and pediatric care, to pre and
post-surgical care, to pre-acute, acute and post-acute care and rehabil-
itation, to clinically complex care, to care of the chronically III, to
palliative care, to public health, primary and preventive services, and
more. Certified Home Health Agencies are integral services in the health
care system. They function as part of the vital continuum of care for
patients, and are partner with physicians, hospitals, primary care prac-
titioners, mental/behavioral providers, health plans, and others, Certi-
fied Home Health Agency Services Include professional nursing, thera-
pies, social work, home health aide, care management, telehealth,
medical supplies, and other community and in-home supports. These agen-
cies deploy health care professionals to homes daily, keeping vulnerable
New Yorkers in their homes, out of hospitals and nursing facilities,
saving valuable health care dollars in the process. Yet, currently,
nearly two-thirds of NY's home health agencies are functioning well
below sustainable fiscal margins, and are eroding rather than Increasing
their capacity as patient demands skyrocket. There are shortages in
home health nurses, therapists and direct care workers, combined with
high vacancy rates across the board In all areas. Moreover, the severe
under-capacity and shortage of home health services, greatly exacerbates
the access crises currently facing hospitals, emergency rooms, nursing
homes and community health settings across NYS.
This legislation would update and ensure funding for the state's current
statutory structure providing state aid for Certified Home Health Agency
services. The funding needs supported in this legislation are those not
typically reimbursed in the Medicaid, Medicare or commercial rate struc-
ture, nor in the negotiated rate or wage methodologies relied on by the
state. Rather, these are core structural service needs that in other
sectors, such as hospitals, are supported by public funding pools
outside of the rate process, and are vital to public need. This legis-
lation is critical to ensuring updates and funding for NY's home health
state aid program, for the medically needy population, and for the
community health system as a whole that relies on these services for
health- and life-dependent support.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New legislation
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
All-payor savings from access to home health care necessary to avert
preventable hospital, nursing home and emergency services and expenses,
as well as to enable less costly ambulatory surgical and interventional
options for patient care. Annual state aid for certified home health
agencies under the bill would total (federal/ state shares combined) $70
million, or such amounts the Legislature and Governor shall annually
appropriate for this purpose in the state budget.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
First day of April next succeeding the date of enactment.
