BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2645
                                                                  Page  1

          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 2645 (Chesbro)
          As Amended  June 21, 2010
          2/3 vote.  Urgency
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |75-0 |(June 2, 2010)  |SENATE: |34-0 |(August 18,    |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2010)          |
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          Original Committee Reference:    HEALTH

          SUMMARY  :  Requires, from July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2012, the  
          reimbursement rate for services in institutions for mental  
          diseases (IMDs) licensed as skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to  
          be the same as the rates in effect on July 1, 2009. 

           The Senate amendments  :  

           1)Impose a two-year reimbursement rate freeze on IMDs licensed  
            as SNFs.

          2)Add an urgency clause.

           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Imposes a rate freeze on the following long term care  
            facilities: SNFs, intermediate care facilities, rural  
            swing-bed facilities, subacute and pediatric subacute care  
            units that are distinct parts of general acute care hospitals,  
            and adult day health centers. 

          2)Requires IMDs licensed as SNFs to be reimbursed for services  
            at the rate established by the Department of Health Care  
            Services.  Mandates, effective July 1, 2008, an annual 4.7%  
            increase in the reimbursement rate for IMDs.    

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill was substantially similar  
          to the version approved by the Senate.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Senate Appropriations Committee  
          analysis:
                            fiscal impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions         2010-11      2011-12       2012-13     Fund








                                                                 AB 2645
                                                                  Page  2

                                                                  
          IMD-SNFs                          ($3,000 to $6,000), annually,  
          for two years    Local

          While there is no comprehensive statewide cost data available to  
          precisely forecast this bill's cost savings for counties,  
          information provided from some impacted counties suggests that  
          annual savings would range from $3 million to $6 million.  

           COMMENTS  :  The Senate amendments impose a two-year, rather than  
          permanent, rate freeze for SNF-IMDs for the 2010-11 and 2011-12  
          rate years and require this bill to take effect immediately as  
          an urgency statute.


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Cassie Rafanan / HEALTH / (916)  
          319-2097                                          FN: 0005482