Next Legislative Committee Meeting via Teleconference 12/12/07 at 1:00 pm

With formal sessions of the Legislature coming to an end late last week, I wanted to provide you with an update on actions taken on the two pieces of legislation that we were following.  One was the Health Care Technical Corrections bill and the other was the Long Term Care model bill.

With respect to the Health Care bill, the Conference Committee, last week, reported out its compromise bill, S-2426 (S-2426 &
H-4310) that was accepted and enacted in both the House and Senate and sent to the Governor for his signature.  As you know, we wanted to get our amendment included in the bill that would prohibit the Connector from actively soliciting small employer groups who already provide health insurance to their employees.  We didn't get exactly what we wanted.  As Senator Moore said when he explained the bill on the Senate floor, the primary area of disagreement was that the House adopted an amendment (MassAHU's) that would have made it difficult for the Connector to do outreach.  Instead of our exact amendment, what the Conference Committee adopted was that a special commission will be established to investigate and study the role of the Connector in providing access to health insurance products and shall examine the Connector's utilization of private sector entities, including insurance brokers, and shall investigate ways to promote efficient enrollment of uninsured individuals into health insurance and prevent unnecessary duplications in the market.  This special commission will consist of the following: the House and Senate Chairs of the Financial Services Committee (Buoniconti & Mariano), the House and Senate Chairs of the Health Care Financing (Moore & Walrath) and a House and Senate member from the minority party.  This commission shall report its findings and recommendations, including recommendations for proposed legislation, at least annually to the clerk of the house and senate.  I believe we are making progress on this issue.  As we have been told by both Sen. Moore's office and Rep. Walrath's office, they will be looking to deal with substantive issues regarding the ongoing implementation of health care reform sometime after the first of the  year, so if needed, we can seek further legislation or suggestions for changes at that time.

Last week, the Senate passed the S-2367 establishing standards for long term care insurance.  The bill was amended in a couple of ways.  As Sen. Harriet Chandler, the primary sponsor of the bill, said in explaining her amendments, Medicaid is one of the largest single portions of the budget.  About $1.8 billion of the $8 billion goes to nursing home care, contrasted with $118 million for home care products. She went on to say that the middle class have divested their assets and come into a nursing home claiming impoverishment and eligibility for Medicaid.  The amendment, according to the Senator, will make this unnecessary by allowing them to shield their assets and it changes when we begin counting the days for Medicaid exemption - instead of 730 days beginning when one enters a home, it will begin when one purchases the LTC policy.  It allows a person to have home health care while maintaining enough days to go into a nursing home an still shield their assets.  Another amendment will require the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) to select and offer a LTC plan for state employees, but it gives the GIC until July 1, 2010 to complete a policy to be available to any employee of the Commonwealth. The rest of the bill remains the same as before and includes a provision that policyholders must receive an outline of coverage, with a policy summary being delivered within 30 days  of approval. Another provision requires that a written explanation of denials must available upon request.  In addition, insurance producers are required to be trained to sell or negotiate long term care insurance.

I believe that MassAHU is making progress and we are being recognized on Beacon Hill.  I am confident that our VOICE is beginning to be heard as we ADVOCATE on behalf of the members of MassAHU.