6444-S AMS ZARE ATKI 066

SSB 6444 - S AMD 210

By Senators Zarelli and Tom

NOT ADOPTED 2/27/2010

    On page 88, after line 21, insert the following:

    "(21) By December 1, 2010, the department shall analyze the costs to the state of in-home caregivers. This shall include the cost differential to the state in-home care program from utilizing caregivers employed by a homecare agency compared with those working as individual providers and, as a separately analyzed group, the costs of family member providers.  The analysis shall consider the differential in hourly Medicaid reimbursement rates between the agency providers and the individual providers including but not limited to administrative costs to the department, utilization of authorized hours, and utilization of health care benefits by home care providers.  The department shall report on the impact of the department's labor agreements, since the inception of collective bargaining for homecare workers, on the state's cost for homecare worker wages, benefits and health insurance benefits.  The department shall include in this analysis the effect of indirect costs to the state of individual versus agency caregivers, including the costs associated with tort liability, costs associated with providing interpreters, the incidence of Medicaid and other forms of payment fraud, and the eligibility of the caregiver for full or partial government paid benefits."   

EFFECT:   Requires a cost study of the cost differential between caregivers employed by a homecare agency and those working as individual providers.   No fiscal impact.

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