An Act To Assist Nursing Facilities In The Management Of Facility Beds

This bill (LD 772) amends Maine law to simplify how nursing facilities can reinstate previously removed beds ("reserved beds") by removing the prior requirement that such beds must have been taken out before July 1, 2007, for reasons other than creating private rooms. It streamlines approval for reinstating these beds by requiring that the projected operating costs align with the facility’s existing beds, without needing to prove MaineCare cost increases are offset by savings elsewhere. The bill also mandates that the state include the cost of a medical director (up to $10,000 annually, adjusted for inflation) in nursing facilities’ MaineCare reimbursement rates. These changes aim to support facilities in managing bed capacity while ensuring costs are fairly accounted for in state funding.