Bill > H791

This bill directs the Massachusetts executive office of health and human services to pursue federal approvals for a new Medicaid-funded assisted living service that would allow individuals at risk of nursing home placement to instead reside in certified assisted living residences. The proposed service would have a daily rate not exceeding 80% of equivalent institutional care costs, and would use payment methodologies to ensure economic access for long-term care services. The bill requires two specific reports: first, a 120-day report to legislative committees detailing the status of federal applications and potential implementation strategies (including examining models from the District of Columbia, Ohio, and California for delivering assisted living services), and second, a 180-day report from the executive office of aging and independence analyzing structural, organizational, and cultural barriers preventing MassHealth members from accessing assisted living residences, with particular attention to residents in qualified census tracts or difficult development areas. The overall goal appears to be expanding affordable assisted living options as an alternative to nursing home care for elderly and frail Medicaid recipients in Massachusetts.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H791