HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 06231987 - 1.45 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
FROM: Contra
Phil Batchelor, County Administrator Costa
DATE: County
June 18, 1987
SUBJECT:
Legislation - AB 688 ( Isenberg)
SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION
Recommendation: Adopt a position in support of AB 688 by
Assemblyman Isenberg, which requires nursing homes wishing to
withdraw from the Medi-Cal Program to keep existing Medi-Cal
patients until they are otherwise discharged.
Background: Under current law there are no requirements on a
nursing home to keep Medi-Cal patients if and when it decides it
wisheg to withdraw from the Medi-Cal Program. Since nursing
homes charge private patients substantially higher rates than
Medi-Cal pays, there is little incentive for a nursing home to
keep Medi-Cal patients. Assemblyman Isenberg has introduced AB
688 which requires that a nursing home may only voluntarily
withdraw from the Medi-Cal Program when all of these conditions
are met:
1) The facility must file with the State a notice of
intent to withdraw from the Medi-Cal Program.
2) The facility may not evict any Medi-Cal patient who was .
residing in the facility at the time the notice of intent is
filed with the State.
3 ) New patients must be advised that the facility is
withdrawing from the Medi-Cal Program and is not required
subsequently to keep a private pay patient who goes on
Medi-Cal.
The facility may only finally withdraw from the Medi-Cal Program
when all Medi-Cal patients who were in the facility at the time
the notice of intent to withdraw was filed are no longer living
in the facility.
The Board of Supervisors has been very concerned for some time at
the difficulty families have finding nursing home beds for
relatives who are on Medi-Cal. In addition, the trauma a patient
faces when he or she is required to be moved from one facility to
another solely because he or she is on Medi-Cal can seriously and
negatively affect the patient ' s health. AB 688 will reduce this
transfer trauma by allowing a Medi-Cal patient to remain in a
CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE:
RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE
APPROVE OTHER
SIGNATURE(S): �(/
ACTION OF BOARD ON Juni� I' q Q(, / APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER
VOTE OF SUPERVISORS
1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE
P UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN
AYES: NOES'. AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD
ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN.
JUN 2 3 1987
CC'• ATTESTED
PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF
SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR
M382/7-83 BY e"=^A44- DEPUTY
,4
Page 2
facility as long as their condition justifies nursing home care,
even if the facility refuses to accept new Medi-Cal patients. As
a result, AB 688 deserves the Board' s support and it is therefore
recommended that the Board go on record in support of AB 688.
CC: County Administrator
Health Services Director
Jackson/Barish and Associates
Assemblyman Isenberg
Supervisors Fanden & McPeak
CVM/pl/A: 12