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Minutes for HB2249 - Committee on Public Health and Welfare
Short Title
Requiring the secretary for aging and disability services to grant physical environment waivers for certain rural emergency hospitals to provide skilled nursing facility care.
Minutes Content for Tue, Mar 11, 2025
Chairperson Gossage opened the hearing on HB2249 and asked Jenna Moyer, Assistant Revisor (ROS), to present the Revisor's Memorandum brief on the bill. (Attachment 3)
Oral Proponent Testimony:
Kylee Childs, Director of Government Affairs, LeadingAge Kansas, spoke for this organization, which is the state association for not-for-profit and mission-focused aging services. There are currently 150 member organizations across Kansas. They provide services to more than 25,000 older Kansans each day and employ more than 20,000 people across the state. (Attachment 4)
Tara Mays, Vice President, State Legislative Affairs, Kansas Hospital Association, talked about how Kansas has been a leader in developing the Rural Emergency Hospital Model. After the federal designation passed in 2020, Kansas was the first to designate that hospital type in our state statutes. Since then, Kansas has three hospitals that converted to Rural Emergency Hospitals in Ark City, LaCrosse, and Moundridge. (Attachment 5)
The Chairperson asked for questions for the proponents; there were none.
Oral Neutral Testimony:
Lacey Hunter, Commissioner, Survey, Certification & Credentialing, Kansas Department on Aging and Disability Services told members that HB2249 adds a section the the Rural Emergency Hospital Act that would require the Secretary of the Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) to provide a waiver to physical environment standards to any rural emergency hospitals meeting the criteria in the bill, which would allow them to transition up to 10 beds from swing beds to killed nursing facility beds. However, it would only be true if the Center for Medicare Service (CMS) approves. Ms. Hunter answered a question from Senator Pettey. (Attachment 6)
Chairperson Gossage pointed the members' attention to the written-only neutral testimony.
Written-Only Neutral Testimony:
Jerry Smith, Director, Bureau of Facilities and Licensing, Kansas Department of Health and Environment (Attachment 7)
There being no other questions or discussion, the Chairperson closed the hearing on HB2249.
