GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA

SESSION 1993

S	1 

SENATE BILL 31

Short Title:  DHR to Study Domiciliary Care Homes.	(Public)
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Sponsors: Senators Cochrane, Carpenter, Martin of Pitt, Richardson, and Speed.
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Referred to:  Children and Human Resources.
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February 3, 1993

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES STUDY THE ISSUE OF REIMBURSEMENT FOR DOMICILIARY CARE HOMES AND RECOMMEND A SPECIFIC METHOD FOR RATE SETTING.
Whereas, G.S. 131D-3 establishes cost and revenue reporting requirements for domiciliary homes; and
Whereas, the North Carolina General Assembly specifically sets the State/county special assistance rates that reimburse domiciliary homes; and
Whereas, the rates for these homes may not bear any real relationship to the cost data; and
Whereas, there may be a better method for rate setting than this one being currently used; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
Section 1.  The Department of Human Resources shall study the issue of reimbursement for domiciliary care homes and shall recommend a specific method for rate setting.
This study shall consider:
(1)	What the purpose of domiciliary care is and should be;
(2)	What the structure of the rates shall be;
(3)	How the levels of payment should be determined;
(4)	How the system of rate setting shall be administered;
(5)	What the adequate number of domiciliary care beds is and whether this number should be controlled by the State; and
(6)	Any other issue the Department finds necessary to study.
The Department shall report its progress on the study to the North Carolina Study Commission on Aging on or before October 1, 1993.  The Department shall make a final report of the results of its study, together with any legislative proposals, to the 1993 General Assembly by March 1, 1994.
Sec. 2.  This act is effective upon ratification.