22000-22010
WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE
SECTION 22000-22010
22000. The California Partnership for Long-Term Care Program is hereby established. 22001. The purpose of the program is to link private long-term care insurance and health care service plan contracts that cover long-term care with the In-Home Supportive Services program (Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Part 3 of Division 9) and Medi-Cal, and to provide specified in-home supportive services benefits and specified Medi-Cal benefits to the purchasers of approved and certified insurance policies and health care service plan contracts who qualify under the special provisions of this division. 22002. The State Department of Health Services shall seek any federal waivers and approvals necessary to accomplish the purposes of this division. 22003. (a) Individuals who participate in the program and have resources above the eligibility levels for receipt of medical assistance under Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Subchapter XIX (commencing with Section 1396) of Chapter 7 of Title 42 of the United States Code) shall be eligible to receive those in-home supportive services benefits specified by the State Department of Social Services, and those Medi-Cal benefits specified by the State Department of Health Services, for which they would otherwise be eligible, if, prior to becoming eligible for benefits, they have purchased a long-term care insurance policy or a health care service plan contract covering long-term care that has been certified by the State Department of Health Services pursuant to this division. (b) Individuals may purchase approved and certified long-term care insurance policies or health care service plan contracts which cover long-term care services in amounts equal to the resources they wish to protect, so long as the amount of insurance purchased exceeds the minimum level set by the State Department of Health Services pursuant to Section 22009. (c) The resource protection provided by this division shall be effective only for long-term care policies, and health care service plan contracts that cover long-term care services, when the policy or contract is delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed on July 1, 1993 and thereafter. 22004. Notwithstanding other provisions of law, the resources, to the extent described in subdivision (c), of an individual who purchases an approved and certified long-term care insurance policy or health care service plan contract which covers long-term care services shall not be considered by: (a) The State Department of Health Services in determining: (1) Medi-Cal eligibility. (2) The amount of any Medi-Cal payment. (3) The amount of any subsequent recovery by the state of payments made for medical services. (b) The State Department of Social Services in determining: (1) Eligibility for in-home supportive services provided pursuant to Article 7 (commencing with Section 12300) of Chapter 3 of Division 9. (2) The amount of any payment for in-home supportive services. (c) The resources not to be considered as provided by this section shall be equal to, or in some proportion set by the State Department of Health Services or State Department of Social Services that is less than equal to, the amount of long-term care insurance payments or benefits made as described in Section 22006. 22005. The State Department of Health Services shall only certify a long-term care insurance policy or a health care service plan contract that meets the Medi-Cal asset protection requirements. 22005.1. (a) The State Department of Health Services shall only certify a long-term care insurance policy that substantially meets the requirements of Chapter 2.6 (commencing with Section 10230) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Insurance Code, except the requirements of Sections 10232.1, 10232.2, 10232.25, 10232.8, 10232.9, and 10232.92 of the Insurance Code, and that provides all of the items specified in subdivision (b). The State Department of Health Services shall only certify a health care service plan contract that has been approved by the Department of Corporations pursuant to Chapter 2.2 (commencing with Section 1340) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code as providing substantially equivalent coverage to that required by Chapter 2.6 (commencing with Section 10230) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Insurance Code, and that provides all of the items specified in subdivision (b). Policies issued by organizations subject to the Insurance Code and regulated by the Department of Insurance shall also be approved by the Department of Insurance. (b) Only policies and contracts that provide all of the following items shall be certified by the department: (1) Individual assessment and case management by a coordinating entity designated and approved by the department. (2) Levels and durations of benefits that meet minimum standards set by the State Department of Health Services pursuant to Section 22009. (3) Protection against loss of benefits due to inflation. (4) A periodic record issued to the insured including an explanation of insurance payments or benefits paid that count toward Medi-Cal asset protection under this division. (5) Compliance with any other requirements imposed by regulations adopted by the State Department of Health Services or the State Department of Social Services and consistent with the purposes of this division. 22005.2. Each organization issuing policies certified by the State Department of Health Services under this division shall each year contribute to a fund to be used for common educational and marketing expenses for reaching the target population designated by the California Partnership for Long-Term Care. The amount of each participating issuer's required annual contribution shall be determined by the department and shall not be less than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000). 22006. The State Department of Health Services, in determining eligibility for Medi-Cal, and the State Department of Social Services, in determining eligibility for in-home supportive services, shall exclude resources up to, or equal to, the amount of insurance payments or benefits paid by approved and certified long-term care insurance policies or health care service plan contracts which cover long-term care services to the extent that the benefits paid are for all of the following: (a) In-home supportive services benefits specified in regulations adopted by the State Department of Social Services pursuant to Section 22009, or those services that Medi-Cal approves or benefits that Medi-Cal provides as specified in regulations adopted by the State Department of Health Services pursuant to Section 22009. (b) Services delivered to insured individuals in a community setting as part of an individual assessment and case management program provided by coordinating entities designated and approved by the State Department of Health Services. (c) Services the insured individual receives after meeting the disability criteria for eligibility for long-term care benefits established by the State Department of Health Services. 22007. The program shall be designed so that the estimated aggregate state expenditures for long-term care services for individuals participating in the program do not exceed the aggregate expenditures that would be made for these services under the Medi-Cal program in effect prior to the implementation of this program. 22008. Advice and counseling may be provided by the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy program within the California Department of Aging to individuals interested in purchasing long-term care insurance or health care service plan contracts that cover long-term care services approved and certified pursuant to this division. 22008.5. Individuals who participate in the program shall remain eligible for those in-home supportive services benefits and those Medi-Cal benefits for which they are eligible under the program for the life of the purchaser of the policy or contract, as long as the purchaser maintains his or her insurance policy or health care service plan contract in force, or otherwise qualifies for continued benefits in accordance with regulations promulgated by the departments. 22009. (a) The State Department of Health Services shall adopt regulations to implement this division, including, but not limited to, regulations which establish: (1) The population and age groups that are eligible to participate in the program. (2) The minimum level of long-term care insurance or long-term care coverage included in health care service plan contracts that must be purchased to meet the requirement of subdivision (b) of Section 22003. (3) The amount and types of services that a long-term care insurance policy or health care service plan contract which includes long-term care services must cover to meet the requirements of this division. (4) Which coordinating entities are designated and approved to deliver individual assessment and case management services to individuals in a community setting, as required by subdivision (b) of Section 22006. (5) The disability criteria for eligibility for long-term care benefits as required by subdivision (c) of Section 22006. (6) The specific eligibility requirements for receipt of the Medi-Cal benefits provided for by the program, and those Medi-Cal benefits for which participants in the program shall be eligible. (b) The State Department of Social Services shall also adopt regulations to implement this division, including, but not limited to, regulations that establish: (1) The specific eligibility requirements for in-home supportive services benefits. (2) Those in-home supportive services benefits for which participants in the program shall be eligible. (c) The State Department of Health Services and the State Department of Social Services shall also jointly adopt regulations that provide for the following: (1) Continuation of benefits pursuant to Section 22008.5. (2) The protection of a participant's resources pursuant to Section 22004, and the ratio of resources to long-term care benefit payments as described in subdivision (c) of Section 22004. (d) The departments shall adopt emergency regulations pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code to implement this division. The adoption of regulations pursuant to this section in order to implement this division shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, emergency regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall not be subject to the review and approval of the Office of Administrative Law. The regulations shall become effective immediately upon filing with the Secretary of State. The regulations shall not remain in effect more than 120 days unless the adopting agency complies with all of the provisions of Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) as required by subdivision (c) of Section 11346.1 of the Government Code. 22010. (a) In implementing this division, the State Department of Health Services may contract, on a bid or nonbid basis, with any qualified individual, organization, or entity for services needed to implement the project, and may negotiate contracts, on a nonbid basis, with long-term care insurers, health care service plans, or both, for the provision of coverage for long-term care services that will meet the certification requirements set forth in Section 22005.1 and the other requirements of this division. (b) In order to achieve maximum cost savings, the Legislature declares that an expedited process for issuing contracts pursuant to this division is necessary. Therefore, contracts entered into on a nonbid basis pursuant to this section shall be exempt from the requirements of Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 10100) and Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 10290) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code.