HB 1529 2003
1	CHAMBER ACTION
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6	The Committee on Future of Florida's Families recommends the
7	following:
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9	Committee Substitute
10	Remove the entire bill and insert:
11	A bill to be entitled
12	An act relating to nursing home facilities; providing that
13	the Agency for Health Care Administration require nursing
14	homes to provide wage or benefit increases for certain
15	staff members; providing for computation of such
16	increases; providing exclusions; providing for monitoring
17	by the agency; providing exemptions; providing an
18	effective date.
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20	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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22	Section 1. (1) The Agency for Health Care
23	Administration shall require that all nursing homes increase
24	wages or benefits, or a combination thereof, excluding bonuses,
25	by an amount computed by multiplying $1 by each hour worked by
26	all hourly staff. The provisions of this subsection do not
27	include those individuals specified in ss. 400.071(2)(b) and (d)
28	and 400.141(1)-(4), Florida Statutes. The hours worked by hourly
29	staff shall include hours worked by leased or similarly arranged
30	staff who provide the majority of hours worked at the facility.
31	The hours shall not include agency, temporary, pool, contracted,
32	or home office staff that are not regularly scheduled at the
33	facility.
34	(2) The wage or benefit funds may be used to provide new
35	or improved benefits or to defray the costs to employees of
36	benefits, such as lower premiums for health insurance. Funds may
37	not be used to defray the increased costs to facilities of
38	existing benefits, such as premium increases paid by facilities
39	for health insurance.
40	(3) The increase in wages or benefits, or a combination
41	thereof, shall be considered an allowable cost for Medicaid cost
42	report purposes, but shall not be subject to the interim rate
43	provisions of the Title XIX Long-Term Care Reimbursement Plan.
44	(4) The agency shall develop systems for the application
45	and monitoring of the wage or benefit funds. The increase in
46	wages or benefits, or a combination thereof, shall be computed
47	by comparing the total of these wages and benefits to the total
48	wages and benefits paid during the period of July 1, 2002,
49	through June 30, 2003. The agency shall monitor future
50	compliance with this provision by a reconciliation of benefits
51	schedule to be submitted with all Medicaid cost reports ending
52	on or after July 31, 2003.
53	(5) Nursing homes which, as of the effective date of this
54	act, offer to all staff members health insurance benefits that
55	cover employees and dependents with an employer contribution of
56	at least 80 percent of the total premium costs shall be exempt
57	from the provisions of this act. To qualify for this exemption,
58	nursing homes must continue to provide health insurance plans
59	that are substantially similar to the coverage in place on the
60	effective date of this act.
61	(6) The increase in wages or benefits, or a combination
62	thereof, shall become effective July 1, 2003, and shall not be
63	rescinded at any time by the nursing home operator, a future
64	operator, a management company, or a staff leasing entity. This
65	section does not require wage or benefit increases in addition
66	to those that take effect on July 1, 2003.
67	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2003.
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