Sec. 112c.

(1) Subject to subsection (5), the department of community health in conjunction with the office of financial and insurance services and the department of human services shall establish a long-term care partnership program in Michigan to provide for the financing of long-term care through a combination of private insurance and medicaid. It is the intent of the long-term care partnership program to do all of the following:

(a) Provide incentives for individuals to insure against the costs of providing for their long-term care needs.

(b) Provide a mechanism for individuals to qualify for coverage of the cost of their long-term care needs under medicaid without first being required to substantially exhaust their resources.

(c) Alleviate the financial burden on the state’s medical assistance program by encouraging the pursuit of private initiatives.

(2) An individual who is a beneficiary of a Michigan long-term care partnership program policy is eligible for assistance under the state’s medical assistance program using the asset disregard as provided under subsection (5).

(3) The department of community health shall pursue reciprocal agreements with other states to extend the asset disregard to Michigan residents who purchased long-term care partnership policies in other states that are compliant with title VI, section 6021 of the federal deficit reduction act of 2005, Public Law 109-171, and any applicable federal regulations or guidelines.

(4) Upon diminishment of assets below the anticipated remaining benefits under a long-term care partnership program policy, certain assets of an individual, as provided under subsection (5), shall not be considered when determining any of the following:

(a) Medicaid eligibility.

(b) The amount of any medicaid payment.

(c) Any subsequent recovery by the state of a payment for medical services or long-term care services.

(5) Not later than 270 days after the effective date of the amendatory act that added this subsection, the department of community health shall apply to the United States department of health and human services for an amendment to the state’s medicaid state plan to establish that the assets an individual owns and may retain under medicaid and still qualify for benefits under medicaid at the time the individual applies for benefits is increased dollar-for-dollar for each dollar paid out under the individual’s long-term care insurance policy if the individual is a beneficiary of a qualified long-term care partnership program policy.

(6) If the long-term care partnership program is discontinued, an individual who purchased a Michigan long-term care partnership program policy before the date the program was discontinued shall be eligible to receive asset disregard if allowed as provided by title VI, section 6021 of the federal deficit reduction act of 2005, Public Law 109-171.

(7) The department of community health shall contract with the Michigan medicare medicaid assistance program or department of community health designated single point of entry agencies, or both, to provide counseling services under the Michigan long-term care partnership program.

(8) The department of community health, in consultation with the department of human services and the office of financial and insurance services, shall develop a notice to consumers detailing in plain language the pertinent provisions of qualified state long-term care insurance partnership policies as they relate to medicaid eligibility and shall determine the appropriate distribution of the notice. The notice shall be available in a printable form on the office of financial and insurance services's website.

(9) The department, the department of community health, and the office of financial and insurance services shall post, on their respective websites, information on how to access the national clearinghouse established under the federal deficit reduction act of 2005, Public Law 109-171, when the national clearinghouse becomes available to consumers.

History: Add. 1995, Act 85, Imd. Eff. June 20, 1995 ;-- Am. 2006, Act 674, Imd. Eff. Jan. 10, 2007 Popular Name: Act 280