House Bill hb1569

    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1569

        By Representative Argenziano






  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to nursing home facilities;

  3         providing that the Agency for Health Care

  4         Administration must require that a portion of a

  5         nursing home facility's per diem be earmarked

  6         for increases in the wages or benefits, or

  7         both, of eligible staff members; defining the

  8         terms "wage pass-through" and "eligible staff";

  9         providing exclusions; providing criteria for

10         reimbursement; providing agency duties and

11         responsibilities; providing an effective date.

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13  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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15         Section 1.  Medicaid per diem for nursing homes;

16  portion to benefit staff.--

17         (1)  The Agency for Health Care Administration shall

18  require that a portion of a nursing home facility's Medicaid

19  per diem be earmarked for increases in the wages or benefits,

20  or both, of the facility's staff. This earmarked portion,

21  which is to be known by the term "wage pass-through," must be

22  sufficient to provide for an increase in the amount of $1 per

23  hour in wages or benefits, or both, for the facility's staff.

24         (2)  The wage pass-through funds must be used by

25  facilities for wage increases or benefit improvements, or

26  both, for eligible staff. As used in this subsection, the term

27  "eligible staff" includes all employees of the nursing home

28  except the administrator and the director of nursing; however,

29  the term excludes agency, temporary, pool, or home-office

30  staff who are not directly employed by and assigned

31  exclusively to the facility. Wage or salary increases are

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    Florida House of Representatives - 2002                HB 1569

    576-164-02






  1  reimbursable; one-time bonuses are not. The wage pass-through

  2  funds may be used to provide new or improved benefits for

  3  staff but may not be used to defray the increased costs of

  4  existing benefits such as increases in premiums for health

  5  insurance.

  6         (3)  The agency shall develop systems for the

  7  application and monitoring of the wage pass-through.

  8         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2002.

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11                          SENATE SUMMARY

12    Provides that the Agency for Health Care Administration
      must require that a portion of a nursing home facility's
13    Medicaid per diem be earmarked for increases in staff
      wages or benefits, or both. Defines the terms "wage
14    pass-through" and "eligible staff." Provides exclusions.
      Provides reimbursement criteria. Requires the agency to
15    develop systems for applying and monitoring the wage
      pass-through.
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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.