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S.B. 425: FIRST ANALYSIS CO. MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT
Senate Bill 425 (as enrolled)
Sponsor: Senator George A. McManus, Jr.
Committee: Families, Mental Health and Human Services Date Completed: 10-9-95
Under the Social Welfare Act, counties that provide Medicaid-funded nursing home services in county-owned facilities must reimburse the State according to a county maintenance of effort rate determined under the Act. The current formula was enacted in 1984 and is based, in part, on the variable costs of operating county-owned facilities. Since the rate of some counties would have been higher under the 1984 formula than it was under the previous law, the 1984 amendments provided that the older rate would remain in effect until computations under the new formula produced a lower rate. This hold-harmless provision originally was scheduled to expire after five years, but it was extended both in 1990 and in 1994 and currently is scheduled to sunset on December 31, 1995. Since the expiration of the cap on counties maintenance of effort rates could result in higher costs to some counties, it has been suggested that the cap again be extended.
The bill would amend the Social Welfare Act to extend for one year, until December 31, 1996, provisions under which a county s maintenance of effort rate for Medicaid-funded nursing home services is limited to the rate in effect on September 30, 1984.
Under the Act, the State Department of Social Services (DSS) is required to pay for nursing home services in accordance with the State plan for medical assistance, but a county is required to reimburse a county maintenance of effort rate determined on an annual rate for each patient day of Medicaid nursing home services provided to eligible persons in licensed long-term care facilities owned by the county. If a county-owned facility s per patient day updated variable costs exceed the variable cost limit for the facility, the rate is
45% of the difference between per patient day updated variable cost and the concomitant nursing home-class variable cost limit, the quantity offset by the difference between per patient day updated variable cost and the concomitant variable cost limit for the county facility . If a facility s per patient day updated variable costs do not exceed the variable cost limit for the facility, the rate is 45% of the difference between per patient day updated variable cost and the concomitant nursing home class variable cost limit. The rate is zero for a facility with per patient day updated variable costs that do not exceed the concomitant nursing home class variable cost limit.
If the county maintenance of effort rate computed according to these provisions exceeds the rate in effect as of September 30, 1984, the rate in effect on that date is to remain in effect until the rate computed under the Act is less than the 1984 rate. This limitation is scheduled to expire on December 31, 1995. For each subsequent county fiscal year the maintenance of effort rate may not increase by more than $1 per patient day each year.
The bill would extend the December 31, 1995, expiration date to December 31, 1996.
MCL 400.109
(Please note: The arguments contained in this analysis originate from sources outside the Senate Fiscal Agency. The Senate Fiscal Agency neither supports nor opposes legislation.)
The bill would give counties one more year to adjust their variable costs so that their maintenance of effort rate under the current statutory formula is less than what they would have
had to pay under the pre-1984 rate. If the existing freeze on rates is not extended, some counties might experience financial difficulty in meeting their obligation to support medical care facility operations. This could have the long-range effect of causing some medical care facilities to close.
Legislative Analyst: S. Margules
Nominally this bill would have no direct fiscal impact on the FY 1995-96 DSS budget as the estimated revenue from counties for Medicaid long-term care services, in county-owned facilities, was not adjusted for possible changes in the maintenance of effort (MOE) rate. The State would forego the opportunity to collect additional revenue to offset General Fund/General Purpose (GF/GP) expenditures, of someplace in the area of
$1,000,000 annually, as 31 of the 36 remaining county facilities will have their MOE rate increased by up to $1 per patient day if the current moratorium lapses. It should be noted that if these additional costs to the counties placed the continued operation of these facilities in danger, then the State would have to deal with the possibility of closures and substantial transfers of elderly and disabled patients with unknown costs. Finally, these county facilities are a major link in one of the State's Medicaid special financing mechanisms. The loss of their participation could cost the State around $150,000,000 in GF/GP offset.
Fiscal Analyst: J. Walker
A9596\S425A
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.