Three bills tapping home care solutions for patients and the health system are advancing in the state Senate, with possible consideration as state budget proposals. Importantly, these bills embrace home care capabilities that meet patients’ needs while achieving state health goals and fiscal savings through integration or rededication of programs and services.
The bills include:
- S.3872-A, by Senate Mental Health Chairman David Carlucci, which has advanced to the Senate Calendar. This bill supports collaborative care models pairing home care agencies and mental health providers to provide a coordinated, integrated plan of care for individuals with physical and mental health needs in the community. The goals include person-centered care to sustain individuals in the community and to prevent avoidable hospitalizations, emergency room episodes, and other avoidable/high-cost setbacks, including long term institutionalization. The Assembly’s companion bill is A.6566-A by Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.
- S.1816, by Senate Health Committee Chairman Gustavo Rivera, moved from the Senate Health to the Senate Finance Committee on January 28. It would incorporate home care in the state’s strategic policies and programs in public health, primary care and prevention, leveraging home care in addressing such priority and extremely high-cost problems as asthma, falls, diabetes, sepsis, health disparities, and others. The Assembly’s companion bill is A.3836 by Assemblyman John McDonald.
- S.7108, by Senator Carlucci, is in the Mental Health Committee and is being considered for potential budget inclusion. It would incorporate home care into the state’s comprehensive care eating disorder center program. This change would add an in-home option for primary and secondary prevention, management, self-care teaching, transition home from the hospital or other residential care setting, and professional support for recovery at home.
HCA thanks Senate and Assembly sponsors for supporting and advancing these proposals. HCA urges all legislators to support these and related HCA proposals to improve citizen health as well as the system’s health and Medicaid cost-effectiveness.
For further information, contact Al Cardillo (acardillo@hcanys.org) or Alyssa Lovelace (alovelace@hcanys.org).