MARVIN MANDEL, Governor                           3877

No. 56
(House Joint Resolution 63)

A House Joint Resolution concerning

Nursing Homes and Medicaid supplements - Payments

FOR the purpose of requesting the Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene to study the problem of Medicaid
payments for nursing home care.

WHEREAS, Federal Medicaid regulations prohibit
paying of a supplemental fee to nursing homes; and

WHEREAS, Many nursing homes will not accept patients
at Medicaid rates and therefore reject all Medicaid
patients; and

WHEREAS, In many instances relatives can afford to
pay part, but not all, of the fees for care of their
loved ones; and

WHEREAS, To allow the payments creates a danger that

some nursing homes may scale their rates up pressing

families of patients for supplemental fees when they
cannot afford it; and

WHEREAS, After July      1, 1975, the Hospital Cost

Review Commission will     set  rates for nursing home care

placing a fair ceiling on the cost of care; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, That
the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene be requested
to study this problem to see if some means can be devised
for allowing the payments without subjecting other
patients to pressures for supplemental payments from
nursing homes; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the recommendation be forwarded to
the Committee on Intergovernmental Cooperation to seek
acceptance for it from federal authorities; and be it
further

RESOLVED, That in any event no recommendation shall
require that more than 50% of the Medicaid patients in a
nursing home at any one time may be making supplemental
payments; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution be sent to
Dr. Neil Solomon, Secretary of the Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene, 301 W. Preston Street, Baltimore,