Establishing network adequacy standards for skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitation hospitals.

The deadline for establishing network adequacy standards was delayed from January 1, 2027, to January 1, 2028, and the date new contracts must meet these standards was delayed from July 1, 2027, to July 1, 2028.

The bill text was updated to refer to 'nursing homes' and 'inpatient rehabilitation facilities' instead of 'skilled nursing facilities' and 'rehabilitation hospitals' to align with common terminology.

The bill title was changed from 'Substitute Bill' to 'Engrossed Substitute Bill', indicating it has passed both legislative chambers and is in its final form.

The deadline for the authority to establish and adopt network adequacy standards was moved from June 30, 2026, to January 1, 2027.

The effective date for managed care contracts to meet the new network adequacy requirements was moved from January 1, 2027, to July 1, 2027.

A new provision clarifies that these network adequacy standards do not change a facility's right to determine if they can meet a resident's needs through available staffing and reasonable accommodations.

The bill header was updated to reflect the new bill number (S-1271.1) and changed the sponsorship line to indicate the bill is now sponsored by the Senate Health & Long-Term Care committee, originally by Senators Muzzall, Chapman, and Dozier.