Urge Your State Representative to Sign on to HB4678
We area reaching out to you again for your advocacy. This time, we are asking you to contact your State Representative and urge them to sign on to HB4678. This is the House version of the Senate bill we asked you to contact your senators on last week.
 
Again, these pieces of legislation are a result of months of discussions and negotiations with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and the other associations. LeadingAge Illinois supports this concept as a fix to staffing agency issues as well as tying staffing and quality to the Medicaid rate redesign.
 
Here is what this bill does:

Staffing Agencies:
  • Prohibits nurse agencies from entering into covenants not to compete with nurses and certified nurse aides who are employed by the agencies
  • Supplemental healthcare staffing agencies must not bill nor receive payments from a licensed health care facility at a rate higher than 130% of the sum of total compensation plus associated payroll taxes for applicable employee classifications.The maximum charge must include all charges for administrative fees, contract fees, or other special charges in addition to compensation for the temporary nursing pool personnel supplied to a health care facility.
 
Medicaid Rate Reform:
  • It shall be a matter of State policy that HFS shall set nursing facility rates, by rule, utilizing an evidence-based methodology that rewards appropriate staffing, quality-of-life improvements for nursing facility residents, and the reduction of racial inequities and health disparities for nursing facility residents enrolled in Medicaid.
  • The language also focuses on the utilization of the Patient Driven Payment Model for nursing services reimbursements.
  • Directed payments to improve the quality of care delivered by nursing facilities.
  • Beginning January 1, 2022, an assessment in an amount varying with the number of paid Medicaid resident days.
 
Please contact your state representative now and ask them to co-sponsor this legislation. After clicking on the Take Action Now button, all you have to do is enter your address and click submit to send a prepared message to your representative. 
 
Thanks in advance for your quick actions and leadership.
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