05 LC 28
2026
Senate
Resolution 82
By:
Senators Goggans of the 7th, Golden of the 8th, Thomas of the 54th, Hill of the
32nd, Stephens of the 27th and others
A
RESOLUTION
Urging
the Congress of the United States to amend Section 1917(b)(1)(C) of the federal
Social Security Act by deleting May 14, 1993, as the deadline for approval by
states of long-term care partnership plans; and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
current federal and state medical assistance expenditures for long-term care
services in the State of Georgia are significant expenses affecting federal and
state budgets; and
WHEREAS,
skyrocketing costs of providing care to persons who need assistance to meet
daily needs have hit the middle class particularly hard; and
WHEREAS,
the national average cost for nursing home care is approximately $50,000.00 per
year; and
WHEREAS,
costs to the State of Georgia will rise on account of increasing demands for
services as our population ages; and
WHEREAS,
the purpose of the long-term care partnership program is to provide incentives
to individuals to purchase long-term care insurance and consequently to relieve
the financial burdens on the states when they assume payment for the long-term
care needs of their citizens under the Medicaid program by allowing individuals
who exhaust qualified private long-term care policy benefits to protect an
equivalent value of assets and still satisfy Medicaid's financial eligibility
requirements; and
WHEREAS,
the concept of long-term care partnerships results in private insurance paying
first and government paying last; and
WHEREAS,
the four states that have had partnership plans for over a decade, specifically
California, Connecticut, Indiana, and New York, have experienced significant
savings to taxpayers and have seen less than 100 total partnership purchasers
qualify for Medicaid; and
WHEREAS,
American citizens in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of
the United States are being discriminated against by not being able to enjoy the
benefits provided by long-term care partnership plans due to a restriction
present in Section 1917(b)(1)(C) of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
Section 1396p(b)(1)(C)) which has discouraged additional states from enacting
long-term care partnership programs by effectively removing the major incentive
for individuals to participate.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA that the members of
this body urge the Congress of the United States to amend Section 1917(b)(1)(C)
of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Section 1396p(b)(1)(C)) by
deleting May 14, 1993, as the deadline for approval by states of long-term
care partnership plans and afford states throughout the nation the ability to
give their citizens the same rights to participate in those types of
plans.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the presiding officers of
each house of the Congress of the United States and to each member of the
Georgia congressional delegation.