Great News!!

The LTC Ombudsman generated bill SB 6807 to provide protections for people on Medicaid who live in boarding homes has passed both the Senate and the House and is ready for signature for the Governor. This could not have been done without all of the work of many family members, residents and ombudsmen who have been affected by the ending of Medicaid contracting at West Woods & Victoria House and by the other family members who were promised the ability to convert to Medicaid and then when the time came were denied. The testimony, calls, letters and media attention provided by all of you had a meaningful impact on the legislators.

Thank you for all of your help!

The bill is a good start toward ending of Medicaid discrimination in our community based settings, in summary it does three things:

(1) Prohibits a boarding home from transferring or discharging a current resident on the basis that it is voluntarily withdrawing from the Medicaid program.
(2) Requires notice to persons beginning residence after the effective date of the act that the boarding home is not participating in the Medicaid program and the person may be transferred or discharged if they are unable to pay the facility charges.
(3) Requires full disclosure in writing to residents and potential residents or their legal representative the facility policy on accepting Medicaid as a payment source. The policy shall clearly and plainly state the circumstances under which the facility will care for persons who are eligible for Medicaid upon admission or who may later become eligible for Medicaid. Disclosure must be provided prior to admission, and the facility must retain a copy of the disclosure signed by the resident or their legal representative. The facility policy on Medicaid as a payment source as of the date of the resident's admission to the facility shall be considered a legally binding contract between the resident and the facility.

I'll keep you posted with regards to when the Governor will sign the bill; it would be great for supporters to come to the bill signing.