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Ron Duerko
Subject: Notes for 7/2/19 oCOA, Mtg
1. Update: AS 76 and SB 103 Re: Training Reguirements for CNiA"s (Certified
IVursin+pAssistants)
As noted in June Mtg. minutes AS 76 passed the Assembly. Vote was 66-31. Before the
vote, efforts to amend AS 76 to increase pay and benefits for CNA's failed.
It was then referred to the Senate where it has received a 1 I reading on 5/16119 and a Public
Hearing on 616119. No further action has taken place so it is still pending in the Senate.
2. Update: From Justice in Aging, June 16, 20119 House Voted to Extend Protections
from Spousal Impoverishment & Money Follows the Person
House passed the Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening
Accountability Act (1� .... ). The bill, which is now with the Senate, includes a 4.5 year
extension of both the expansion of the spousal impoverishment protection to Medicaid home
and community-based services (HCBS) and the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program..
Earlier this year, Congress extended both MFP and the spousal impoverishment protection
through September 30th.. Efforts continue towards a permanent solution that ensures married
couples have the same financial protections whether they receive Medicaid long-term
services and supports at home, or in an institution, and that states have the assurances they
need to keep their MFP programs running.
. URdate. From Medicare Watch June 2.0, 2019:
In its J�.ine 2019 report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)
recommends improvements to the complex Medicare Part 'B enrollment process, including
strengthening notification requirements which is, in part, what the Beneficiary Enrollment
Notification and Eligibility Simplification (i° -NES) Act proposes to do (S,. 1280/H.R. 2477).
Currently, only individuals who applied for or are receiving Social Security benefits at age 65
are notified about their Medicare Part B eligibility. Everyone else must initiate action on their
own to make a Medicare enrollment choice, taking into consideration specific timelines and
existing coverage. If this transition is mismanagedas it often is -individuals new to
Medicare may face lifetime late enrollment penalties, higher health care costs, gaps in
coverage, and disruptions in care continuity.
MedPAC estimates about 600,000 beneficiaries were paying a late-enrollment penalty for
Part B in 2016.
The bipartisan RENES Act would fill the long-standing gap in outreach and education by
directing the federal government to notify individuals who are approaching Medicare eligibility
about their enrollment options and responsibilities.
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