Senate · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB186: SB186 Hospitals and Related Institutions; assisted living communities and personal care homes to enroll as Medicaid providers; permit

Last action February 19, 2025 · Senate Read and Referred

A Georgia Senate bill would let assisted living communities and personal care homes enroll as Medicaid providers, reversing a current ban and opening the door to state-funded home and community based care for people who cannot afford to pay privately.

In plain language

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.2), assisted living communities are barred from enrolling as Medicaid providers or receiving federal Medicaid funds under Title XIX of the Social Security Act. This bill removes that ban and adds a new section allowing both assisted living communities and personal care homes to enroll as Medicaid providers and receive those funds, unless federal law says otherwise. The bill directs the Department of Community Health to bring together stakeholders and build a model for how this enrollment would work, covering home and community based services but not room and board. The department must then submit any needed Medicaid state plan amendment or waiver request to the federal Department of Health and Human Services by December 31, 2026. The stated goal is to let Georgians age in place in assisted living or subsidized housing instead of moving to a skilled nursing facility when they lack the money to pay privately.

What the bill does

Repeals the current ban on assisted living communities enrolling as Medicaid providers, found in O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.2(i).
Adds a new Code section, 31-7-12.9, letting assisted living communities and personal care homes enroll as Medicaid providers and receive Title XIX Social Security Act funds.
Requires the Department of Community Health to convene stakeholders and design an implementation model for this new provider enrollment.
Requires the department to submit any necessary Medicaid state plan amendment or waiver request to the federal government by December 31, 2026.
States that covered services are home and community based care, not room and board, for people who choose enrolled facilities.

Who it affects

Assisted living communities and personal care homes that could newly enroll as Medicaid providers, Georgians who need help with daily living but cannot afford private-pay senior care, people living in subsidized housing needing a higher level of care, and the Department of Community Health, which must build and submit the program.

Why it matters

If enacted, some Georgians who currently cannot afford assisted living or personal care homes could pay for services there through Medicaid rather than moving into a nursing home. The change depends on the state building a model and getting federal approval by the end of 2026.

Key provisions

Section 1 states the General Assembly's intent to let Georgians without financial resources use Medicaid to remain in assisted living or personal care homes instead of nursing facilities.
Section 2 revises O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.2(i), removing the existing prohibition on assisted living communities enrolling as Medicaid providers.
Section 3 creates new O.C.G.A. § 31-7-12.9, authorizing assisted living communities and personal care homes to enroll as Medicaid providers and receive Title XIX funds, subject to federal law.
Section 3(b) requires the Department of Community Health to convene stakeholders and develop an implementation model.
Section 3(c) requires the department to submit a Medicaid state plan amendment or waiver request to federal health officials no later than December 31, 2026.
Section 4 repeals all conflicting laws.

Status timeline

2025-02-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2025-02-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

Topics

Medicaid
assisted living
personal care homes
elder care
home and community based services