(REPRINTED WITH ADOPTED AMENDMENTS) SECOND REPRINT
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 28-Committee on
Health and Human Services
May 20, 1997
____________
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
SUMMARY--Directs Legislative Committee on Health Care to study long-term health care needs of residents of State of Nevada and availability of insurance for health care. (BDR R-1630)
EXPLANATION - Matter in italics is new; matter in brackets [ ] is material to be omitted.
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION--Directing the Legislative Committee on Health Care to study the long-term health care needs of the residents of the State of Nevada and the availability of insurance for health care.
Whereas, The Nevada Legislature and Congress have passed legislation in past years that has addressed several aspects of the issues related to increasing the access to insurance for health care for employees whose employers do not provide health insurance; and
Whereas, New provisions were added to chapter 689C of NRS during the 1995 Legislative Session that allowed employers of 25 or fewer employees to join and form larger groups in an effort to reduce the high cost of group insurance for those small employers; and
Whereas, The Nevada State Medical Association has suggested that those provisions be expanded from employers of 25 or fewer employees to include all employers and self-employed workers; and
Whereas, Exemptions from the business tax have been proposed, as an incentive to small business employers who provide insurance for health care to their employees; and
Whereas, Suggested reforms encourage the establishment of "risk pools" and medical savings accounts as alternatives to existing health insurance plans to improve coverage of persons with medical conditions which make the purchase of health insurance extremely difficult; and
Whereas, The objective of such reforms is to provide full access to insurance for health care for all residents of the State of Nevada; and
Whereas, The population of the State of Nevada has experienced unprecedented growth and a large percentage of this growth is attributable to elderly persons who have chosen to retire in this state; and
Whereas, The health care needs of this growing segment of the population must be addressed to ensure that their needs are met with the best resources available within this state; and
Whereas, It is important to determine the availability of services and facilities that are required for long-term health care within the State of Nevada to ensure the good health and well-being of all the residents of this state; and
Whereas, An estimated 53 percent of all elderly persons will need the services of a nursing home at some time in their life; and
Whereas, According to the California Partnership for Long-Term Care, approximately 44 percent of the elderly persons who are placed in a nursing home stay 12 months or less, 22 percent stay between 1 and 3 years, 13 percent stay between 3 and 5 years and 21 percent stay 5 years or more; and
Whereas, The average cost of long-term care for elderly persons in the United States is approximately $35,000 per year, and that cost is expected to rise by an estimated 7 percent annually according to the United States Congressional Study on Aging; and
Whereas, Medicare provides some coverage for persons who are 65 years or older for home care and nursing facilities; and
Whereas, The growing number of elderly persons in need of long-term care is of grave concern to this legislative body; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of Nevada, the Senate Concurring, That the Legislative Committee on Health Care is hereby directed to study:
1. The laws and other factors which relate to the availability and affordability of insurance for health care for residents of this state;
2. The long-term health care needs of the persons living in the State of Nevada; and
3. The availability of insurance for long-term care in the State of Nevada; and be it further
Resolved, That the study must include a review of:
1. For the portion of the study pertaining to the availability and affordability of insurance for health care for residents of this state:
(a) The impact and effectiveness of the current laws of the State of Nevada concerning:
(1) The use and availability of basic health insurance plans and voluntary purchasing groups for small employers;
(2) The implementation of medical savings accounts; and
(3) Access and care for indigent persons;
(b) The impact of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 on uninsured employees in this state; and
(c) Reforms in laws relating to insurance for health care enacted in other states;
2. For the portion of the study pertaining to the long-term health care needs of the persons living in the State of Nevada:
(a) The availability and affordability of home-health care for persons in this state and the effectiveness of the coverage of Medicare and Medicaid relating to the expenses incurred for long-term health care;
(b) The financial impact on the families of persons who require long-term health care;
(c) The effectiveness and availability of agencies that provide health care in the home and whether that health care is affordable for the majority of the residents of this state;
(d) Whether the programs that provide hospice care are providing adequate physical, psychological, custodial and spiritual care for persons who are terminally ill;
(e) Whether current licensing requirements for persons providing long-term health care are sufficient; and
(f) Whether programs that are currently available within the University and Community College System of Nevada meet the educational needs of the staff required for nursing care facilities and for home-health care; and
3. For the portion of the study pertaining to the availability of insurance for long-term care in the State of Nevada:
(a) The estimated need for insurance for long-term care in Nevada;
(b) The availability of policies for long-term care from insurance companies licensed to provide insurance to residents of this state;
(c) The affordability of such policies;
(d) How the programs by which other states offer such policies to public employees, with an examination of the California Partnership for Long-Term Care;
(e) Partnership models from other states, including other "pooling" and "grouping" systems which allow employees to receive discounted rates; and
(f) Strategies and systems for increasing the availability and affordability of such policies to workers in this state through insurance programs provided by employers and other mechanisms; and be it further
Resolved, That no action may be taken by the Legislative Committee on Health Care on proposed legislation recommended as a result of this study unless it receives a majority vote of the Senators on the committee and a majority vote of the Assemblymen on the committee; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislative Committee on Health Care shall report the findings of the study and any recommendations for legislation to the 70th session of the Nevada Legislature.