01/06/2023
Governor signs relief bill, includes housing tax valuation language
Advocacy in Action call on Monday will provide greater detail on final bill
Advocacy in Action call on Monday will provide greater detail on final bill
Governor Mike DeWine today signed Sub. HB 45, the bill which includes a number of long-awaited aging and health policy proposals valued at $6 billion in total.
Despite the urging of dozens of associations and providers to veto the housing tax valuation and historic tax credit language, Sub. HB 45 was signed into action as is, without vetoes. Governor DeWine assured stakeholders and the public that his executive budget proposal, expected next month, will feature a "comprehensive approach" to affordable housing issues.
Relief included in Sub. HB 45 is as follows:
- $350 million for nursing homes. The bill reduces the amount included in SB 110 from $615M to $350M. While this is a reduction, it was increased from the Senate's original plan to provide $305M. Sub. HB 45 uses ARPA funds to support nursing facilities, with 40 percent going out based on Medicaid days and 60 percent being based on a quality formula derived from the Quality Incentive Payment (QIP). Modifications to the QIP include NOT excluding the bottom quartile of providers from the calculation, and an additional measure that awards 7.5 points to providers with 75% or greater occupancy in calendar year 2021. The package also includes the language expressing the General Assembly’s intent to rebase nursing facility rates, effective July 1, 2023, using 2022 cost report data, requires a plan to convert the capital price to one based on fair rental value by October of 2023, and a proposal for a private room by June 2023.
- $50 million for PACE expansion. The bill includes language from HB 600 to expand the Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to the unserved metro areas of Toledo, Columbus, Dayton, Cincinnati, Akron, Lorain, and allows for PACE proposals in other parts of the state if providers are interested. The amendment removes $4M originally included in the bill that were to go to ODA to expand administratively to support PACE.
- $40 million for assisted living. Sub. HB 45 includes relief funding for assisted living without specifying how relief payments should be calculated. Providers are prohibited from using funding for contract workers, staffing agencies, executives, administrators or owners. LeadingAge Ohio will likely advocate for a methodology that blends per-bed payments with payments based on participation in Ohio’s assisted living waiver program.
- $30 million for hospices, $10 million for home health home and community based services. Hospice and HCBS funding must be used on workforce-related expenses and prohibits using the funds for contract workers, staffing agencies, executives, administrators, and owners.
- $8 million for adult day services. The amendment appropriates $8M in funding to support eligible adult day sites. LeadingAge Ohio is developing recommendations for distributing the funds, and welcomes member input.
The bill does not feature an emergency clause, and will therefore take effect in 90 days.
Questions can be sent to Patrick Schwartz, Director of Government Affairs & Communications, at pschwartz@leadingageohio.org, or Susan Wallace, President/CEO, at swallace@leadingageohio.org.
Advocacy in Action call - Monday, January 9 at 10:00AM
Monday’s Advocacy in Action call will be held at 10:00AM and will include an a recap of December’s lame duck sessions, which included critical relief for nursing facilities and other provider types as well as PACE expansion, and information on this week’s leadership election shocker in the Ohio House of Representatives.
To join the Zoom call from your computer, please click here shortly before the call begins.
Meeting ID: 915-089-7248
Meeting Passcode: 634189
To join via phone, dial: (646) 558-8656; meeting ID: 915-089-7248
One-touch dial: 16465588656,9150897248#,,,,#