ALP CON Process

Support A.9562 (Lupardo)

As the only Medicaid assisted living option in New York State, the Assisted Living Program (ALP) serves as an alternative to nursing home care for lower-acuity seniors, providing services at approximately half the cost. Since the early 1990s, the ALP has expanded from 4,000 beds to over 12,000 beds, all of which have been awarded through a competitive solicitation process. Despite this growth, ALP capacity in the state is insufficient. There are counties with no ALP providers, counties that will not be able to offer choice of ALP providers in a future managed care environment, and existing ALPs that do not have enough capacity to serve the current need in their community. The historic competitive application process has varied over the solicitations, and the inconsistent process has made it challenging to prepare a successful application. Smaller organizations do not have the resources and expertise to effectively compete in a statewide solicitation.

LeadingAge NY has long advocated for an expansion of the ALP to create additional opportunities for Medicaid-eligible seniors. To that end, we strongly support A.9562 (Lupardo), which would alter the ALP from a competitive process to a certificate of need (CON) process that awards beds based on demonstrated community need and allow existing ALP providers to add up to nine beds through an expedited process.

Enter your information to send a letter to your lawmakers, urging them to support this important bill. You can also access LeadingAge NY’s memo of support here.

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Subject:

Please Support A.9562 (Lupardo)

Dear Official,

I am writing to urge you to support A.9562 (Lupardo), which would convert the Assisted Living Program (ALP) from a competitive process to a certificate of need (CON) process that awards beds based on demonstrated community need and allow existing ALP providers to add up to nine beds through an expedited process.

Converting the ALP to a CON process would alleviate disparities within the program and bring it into the same regulatory framework as every other type of health care facility. The CON process would allow expansion of ALP beds to counties that have a demonstrated need in a rational and timely manner. Furthermore, the Department of Health (DOH) would be relieved of the administratively burdensome competitive bid process and would instead be able to use the CON process to determine county long term care requirements holistically. Lastly, the ALP CON process would likely result in savings, as independent seniors who are nursing home eligible would be appropriately placed in the lower-cost ALP alternative. This alternative is critical in a managed care environment and is consistent with the goals of the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) and our state’s priority to ensure people can access services in the least restrictive setting possible.

As New York State confronts an aging population, ALP beds are a key component of the long term care continuum, allowing seniors to “age in place” and reducing overall Medicaid costs by providing lower cost alternatives to nursing homes. Developing greater ALP capacity would help the system to better respond to the growing consumer demand for these services while conserving financial resources.

For these reasons, I ask you to support A.9562 (Lupardo).

Regards, Your Name

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