CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE; NURSING HOMES                                         S.B. 1094 (S-1):

                                                                                                    SUMMARY OF BILL

                                                                                     REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

Senate Bill 1094 (Substitute S-1 as reported)

Sponsor:  Senator Peter J. Lucido

Committee:  Health Policy and Human Services

CONTENT

The bill would amend the Public Health Code to do the following:

-- Require the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in consultation with the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), to conduct, by October 15, 2020, an evaluation of the operation, efficacy, clinical outcomes, and performance of each COVID-19 regional hub that was implemented and operating during the State's response to coronavirus in nursing homes and provide a detailed report on its evaluation to the Legislature. 

-- Require the DHHS, in consultation with LARA, to develop and submit to the Legislature, by October 15, 2020, a plan based on guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and incorporated recommendations from the Michigan Nursing Homes COVID-19 Preparedness Task Force describing a process by which the DHHS was able to implement dedicated facilities for only coronavirus-positive patients in each of the eight health care regions of the State.

-- Require a plan to incorporate any enhancement that the DHHS considered appropriate to prevent the spread of coronavirus in nursing homes based on the evaluation conducted by the Department, if the plan used the regional hub design.

-- Prohibit an individual from being admitted or retained for care in a nursing home if he or she tested positive for coronavirus, except under certain circumstances.

MCL 333.21717 et al.                                              Legislative Analyst:  Stephen Jackson

FISCAL IMPACT

The bill would require the DHHS to evaluate the COVID-19 regional hubs and to develop a plan to create a process to ensure that there were dedicated skilled nursing facilities for COVID-19 patients. These provisions would lead to minor administrative costs for the DHHS. The requirement that COVID-19-positive individuals not be placed in skilled nursing facilities until they had recovered or a designated area in the skilled nursing facility was available could delay some placements of those individuals in skilled nursing facilities.

The Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs also could incur minor costs related to the required evaluation and planning activity. However, these costs likely would be covered by existing appropriations.

Date Completed:  9-21-20                                                Fiscal Analyst:  Steve Angelotti

                                                                                                 Elizabeth Raczkowski

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.