| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to care for elderly persons; providing a |
| 3 | popular name; providing legislative findings; requiring |
| 4 | the Agency for Health Care Administration and the |
| 5 | Department of Elderly Affairs to assist a private, not- |
| 6 | for-profit organization within specified counties in |
| 7 | providing services under a federal program known as the |
| 8 | Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly; specifying |
| 9 | the number of enrollees; requiring the agency to contract |
| 10 | with the private organization, subject to federal |
| 11 | approval; providing an effective date. |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Section 1. Program of All-inclusive Care for the |
| 16 | Elderly.-- |
| 17 | (1) This section may be referred to by the popular name |
| 18 | "Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly Act." |
| 19 | (2) The Legislature finds that: |
| 20 | (a) The establishment of additional sites for the Program |
| 21 | of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, as established in Pub. L. |
| 22 | No. 105-33, should be encouraged in this state as one method to |
| 23 | enhance the ability of frail and elderly persons who are |
| 24 | certified as needing placement in a residential nursing home to |
| 25 | delay the necessity of such placement as long as possible. |
| 26 | (b) The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly |
| 27 | offers a means to help control state Medicaid costs for long- |
| 28 | term care placements by using Medicare funding to help finance |
| 29 | services that help to delay the need for long-term care. |
| 30 | (c) Lee and Martin Counties and the surrounding counties |
| 31 | represent large and growing regions wherein, due to demographic |
| 32 | characteristics, a significant opportunity exists to assist |
| 33 | elderly persons in maintaining independence outside nursing |
| 34 | homes and wherein the state may reduce Medicaid expenditures for |
| 35 | providing long term care. |
| 36 | (d) Due to the relative newness and comprehensiveness of |
| 37 | the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, the Agency |
| 38 | for Health Care Administration and the Department of Elderly |
| 39 | Affairs shall cooperate with private organizations interested in |
| 40 | providing services under the program. |
| 41 | (e) There exists a need to develop a model for hospice |
| 42 | providers to offer nursing home diversion services as part of |
| 43 | the array of end-of-life care and services available to frail |
| 44 | and elderly persons. |
| 45 | (3) The Agency for Health Care Administration and the |
| 46 | Department of Elderly Affairs shall assist one private, not-for- |
| 47 | profit organization located in Lee County and one such |
| 48 | organization located in Martin County, which provide |
| 49 | comprehensive services including hospice care for frail and |
| 50 | elderly persons, to gain approval for providing services under |
| 51 | the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly. |
| 52 | (4) By September 30, 2005, the Agency for Health Care |
| 53 | Administration shall approve 50 initial enrollees in the Program |
| 54 | of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly within Lee and Martin |
| 55 | Counties and the surrounding counties and up to 200 enrollees |
| 56 | within 2 years, subject to the ability of a private organization |
| 57 | to sufficiently expand capacity for additional enrollees. |
| 58 | Authorization for enrollment levels greater than 200 is subject |
| 59 | to documentation of each program's effectiveness. |
| 60 | (5) By July 1, 2005, and subject to an appropriation, the |
| 61 | Agency for Health Care Administration shall contract with |
| 62 | private, not-for-profit organizations in Lee and Martin |
| 63 | Counties, as specified in subsection (3), to provide services |
| 64 | under the Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly in Lee |
| 65 | and Martin Counties and the surrounding counties, subject to |
| 66 | federal approval of the provider application. |
| 67 | Section 2. A provider entity of a Program of All-inclusive |
| 68 | Care for the Elderly is exempt from the requirements of chapter |
| 69 | 641, Florida Statutes, if such entity is a private, nonprofit |
| 70 | hospice as defined in part IV, chapter 400, s. 400.601(3), and |
| 71 | chapter 617, Florida Statutes. |
| 72 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004. |