exempt

                            (REPRINTED WITH ADOPTED AMENDMENTS)

 

Senate Bill No. 402–Senators Rawson, Amodei, Care, Mathews, McGinness, Neal, O’Donnell, Schneider, Shaffer, Titus, Washington and Wiener

 

March 19, 2001

____________

 

Referred to Committee on Finance

 

SUMMARY—Expands authority of legislative committee on health care to review certain issues relating to long-term care. (BDR 40‑972)

 

FISCAL NOTE:            Effect on Local Government: No.

                                    Effect on the State: Contains Appropriation not included in Executive Budget.

 

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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italicsis new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

 

AN ACT relating to health care; expanding the authority of the legislative committee on health care to review certain issues relating to long-term care; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

   Whereas, The requirement that persons in this state impoverish themselves to become eligible for long-term care benefits places many persons in need of long-term care in a very difficult situation when determining how to receive the health care services that they need to survive; and

   Whereas, The growing number of persons in need of long-term care is of grave concern to the legislature; and

   Whereas, Issues relating to long-term care would be most appropriately reviewed by a permanent task force; and

   Whereas, Until such a task force is established, those issues would be most appropriately reviewed by the legislative committee on health care; now therefore,

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

1-1    Section 1. NRS 439B.220 is hereby amended to read as follows:

1-2    439B.220  The committee may:

1-3    1.  Review and evaluate the quality and effectiveness of programs for

1-4  the prevention of illness.

1-5    2.  Review and compare the costs of medical care among communities

1-6  in Nevada with similar communities in other states.

2-1    3.  Analyze the overall system of medical care in the state to determine

2-2  ways to coordinate the providing of services to all members of society,

2-3  avoid the duplication of services and achieve the most efficient use of all

2-4  available resources.

2-5    4.  Examine the business of providing insurance, including the

2-6  development of cooperation with health maintenance organizations and

2-7  organizations which restrict the performance of medical services to certain

2-8  physicians and hospitals, and procedures to contain the costs of these

2-9  services.

2-10    5.  Examine hospitals to:

2-11    (a) Increase cooperation among hospitals;

2-12    (b) Increase the use of regional medical centers; and

2-13    (c) Encourage hospitals to use medical procedures which do not require

2-14  the patient to be admitted to the hospital and to use the resulting extra

2-15  space in alternative ways.

2-16    6.  Examine medical malpractice.

2-17    7.  Examine the system of education to coordinate:

2-18    (a) Programs in health education, including those for the prevention of

2-19  illness and those which teach the best use of available medical services;

2-20  and

2-21    (b) The education of those who provide medical care.

2-22    8.  Review competitive mechanisms to aid in the reduction of the costs

2-23  of medical care.

2-24    9.  Examine the problem of providing and paying for medical care for

2-25  indigent and medically indigent persons, including medical care provided

2-26  by physicians.

2-27    10.  Examine the effectiveness of any legislation enacted to accomplish

2-28  the purpose of restraining the costs of health care while ensuring the

2-29  quality of services, and its effect on the subjects listed in subsections 1 to 9,

2-30  inclusive.

2-31    11.  Determine whether regulation by the state will be necessary in the

2-32  future by examining hospitals for evidence of:

2-33    (a) Degradation or discontinuation of services previously offered,

2-34  including without limitation, neonatal care, pulmonary services and

2-35  pathology services; or

2-36    (b) A change in the policy of the hospital concerning

2-37  contracts,

2-38  as a result of any legislation enacted to accomplish the purpose of

2-39  restraining the costs of health care while ensuring the quality of services.

2-40    12.  Study the effect of the acuity of the care provided by a hospital

2-41  upon the revenues of hospital and upon limitations upon that revenue.

2-42    13.  Review the actions of the director in administering the provisions

2-43  of this chapter and adopting regulations pursuant to those provisions. The

2-44  director shall report to the committee concerning any regulations proposed

2-45  or adopted pursuant to this chapter.

2-46    14.  Identify and evaluate, with the assistance of an advisory group,

2-47  the alternatives to institutionalization for providing long-term care,

2-48  including, without limitation:

3-1    (a) An analysis of the costs of the alternatives to institutionalization

3-2  and the costs of institutionalization for persons receiving long-term care

3-3  in this state;

3-4    (b) A determination of the effects of the various methods of providing

3-5  long-term care services on the quality of life of persons receiving those

3-6  services in this state;

3-7    (c) A determination of the personnel required for each method of

3-8  providing long-term care services in this state; and

3-9    (d) A determination of the methods for funding the long-term care

3-10  services provided to all persons who are receiving or who are eligible to

3-11  receive those services in this state.

3-12    15.  Evaluate, with the assistance of an advisory group, the feasibility

3-13  of obtaining a waiver from the Federal Government to integrate and

3-14  coordinate acute care services provided through Medicare and long-term

3-15  care services provided through Medicaid in this state.

3-16    16.  Evaluate, with the assistance of an advisory group, the feasibility

3-17  of obtaining a waiver from the Federal Government to eliminate the

3-18  requirement that elderly persons in this state impoverish themselves as a

3-19  condition of receiving assistance for long-term care.

3-20    17. Conduct investigations and hold hearings in connection with its

3-21  review and analysis.

3-22    [15.] 18. Apply for any available grants and accept any gifts, grants or

3-23  donations to aid the committee in carrying out its duties pursuant to this

3-24  chapter.

3-25    [16.] 19. Direct the legislative counsel bureau to assist in its research,

3-26  investigations, review and analysis.

3-27    [17.] 20. Recommend to the legislature as a result of its review any

3-28  appropriate legislation.

3-29    Sec. 2.  This act becomes effective on July 1, 2001.

 

3-30  H