Committee backs SB 3324 to boost Medicaid home-and-community-care rates; DHS says general-fund need about $1.7M

The committee approved SB 3324 SD1, which appropriates funds to increase Medicaid home- and community-based-services rates aimed at supporting caregivers and keeping older residents in community settings.

Justin Lam of the Department of Health testified the department sees growing demand for community-based care homes that allow kupuna to stay in their homes and out of institutions and that caregivers for these facilities are often underpaid and overextended.

A Department of Human Services representative said the program leverages a federal match of roughly 60 percent and estimated the remaining general-fund cost at about $1.7 million; lawmakers asked the DHS to include match and general-fund numbers in the committee report.

The Chair adopted technical amendments and the committee passed the measure with amendments; the committee report will note the requested general-fund amount and match percentage.