ANNUAL CONFERENCE RECAP | 2018
State and Federal Advocacy Update
LeadingAge NY’s Ami Schnauber, vice president of advocacy
and public policy and Dan Heim, executive vice president and
LeadingAge’s Nicole Fallon, vice president of health policy and
integrated services, provided a comprehensive review of the policy
and advocacy issues the associations have been focusing on over
the past year.
LeadingAge NY staff discussed the recently passed state budget,
which included significant funding and health care changes for
providers. LeadingAge NY was successful at getting a health
care transformation capital funding set aside for nursing
homes, home care and assisted living, along with a significant
expansion to the Assisted Living Program (ALP). Presenters
also discussed the carve-out of the nursing home benefit from
Managed Long Term Care (MLTC), MLTC contract limits
with Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs) and a
moratorium on LHCSA applications.
Presenters then discussed legislative bills that were under
consideration in the State Legislature, including mandatory nurse
staffing ratios, access to hospice services in the ALP, Continuing
Care Retirement Community (CCRC) cybersecurity regulations
waivers, senior housing resident assistants and the expanding the
role of the nurse in the Adult Care Facility (ACF).
Nicole Fallon then provided a recap of federal budget activity,
including the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, the President’s
2019 proposed budget and the FY19 Appropriations process that
was just getting underway. The budget wins that were achieved
included, a therapy cap repeal; Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)
market basket update of 2.4 percent; rural home health add-on
continues at .5-4 percent, based on year, number of episodes and
population density; changes to face-to-face eligibility requirements
for home health and hospice and provisions to allow the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) secretary to have
authority to settle home health claims on appeal.
Ms. Fallon also discussed the significant wins in the FY18
Omnibus Spending Package for HUD housing: Rental Assistance
Demonstration for Project Rental Assistance Contracts (RAD for
PRAC) allowing 202 to convert to Section 8 and access capital for
preservation of units; $105 million for 760 new units; fully funding
existing programs, an overall 10 percent increase; fully funding
(continued)
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Adviser a publication of LeadingAge New York | Summer 2018