HOUSE BILL REPORT

                     SSB 6354

                              As Passed House

                               March 6, 1992

Title:  An act relating to conditions of participation in the prospective cost-related reimbursement system.

Brief Description:  Providing an exception to the nursing home prospective cost‑related reimbursement system dual certification requirement.

Sponsor(s):  By Senate Committee on Health & Long‑Term Care (originally sponsored by Senators Craswell, Barr, Pelz, Murray, Moore, West, Hayner, Newhouse, Williams, Metcalf, A. Smith, Vognild, McDonald, Stratton, Bauer, Oke and Roach).

Brief History:

   Reported by House Committee on:

Appropriations, February 26, 1992, DP;

Passed House, March 6, 1992, 96-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

APPROPRIATIONS

Majority Report: Do pass.  Signed by 25 members:  Representatives Locke, Chair; Inslee, Vice Chair; Spanel, Vice Chair; Silver, Ranking Minority Member; Morton, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Belcher; Bowman; Brekke; Carlson; Dorn; Ferguson; Fuhrman; Hine; Lisk; May; Nealey; Peery; Pruitt; Rust; D. Sommers; H. Sommers; Valle; Vance; Wang; and Wineberry.

Staff:  John Woolley (786-7154).

Background:  The state's nursing home reimbursement statute currently requires that all nursing homes that are certified for Medicaid patients have at least 15 percent of their beds also certified for Medicare patients.  Since Medicare is 100 percent federal, this is considered to be a means to ensure some cost savings over the Medicaid Program since Medicaid is 50 percent state funded.

Summary of Bill:  The bill amends the 15 percent requirement to say that a portion of a facilities' beds must be Medicare certified.  In addition, DSHS may grant exemptions to this if a facility has made a good faith effort to obtain Medicare certification; this exemption clause expires June 1, 1993.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Support the bill.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Karen Tynes, Washington Association of Homes for the Aging (pro).