Senate committee hears bill to raise Medicaid asset limits and require assisted‑living reporting

Senate Bill 696, introduced as Senator Vargas’s bill, would increase the Medicaid resource limits for people receiving home‑and‑community based long‑term services to $12,000 for single applicants and $18,000 for couples, and require Medicaid‑certified assisted‑living facilities and adult‑day providers to submit semiannual reports to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS).

Supporters told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee the current asset limits — $4,000 for individuals and $6,000 for couples — leave older adults and people with disabilities with too little to cover routine and unexpected housing costs. “Under the current Medicaid financial eligibility requirement, older adults and persons with disability cannot have more than $4,000 in assets,” said Senator Vargas, sponsor of the bill. She said increasing the limit would help people remain in their homes and pay for repairs and utilities.

The Senior Agenda Coalition’s Maureen Maegret said the bill advances a long‑standing state goal to rebalance long‑term care away from institutions and toward home‑and‑community services. “When we ask the majority of older people who need long‑term care, they would prefer to stay at home,” Maegret said, noting the 2008 law that set a 50% spending goal for home and community‑based services. Kathleen Girard of Advocates for Better Care in Rhode Island and Elizabeth Hubbard of the Governor’s Commission on Disabilities also testified in support, emphasizing the need for better data on which assisted‑living facilities accept Medicaid and the rising cost of home modifications.

The bill’s reporting requirement would direct assisted‑living and adult‑day providers to provide semiannual data on numbers served, certification status, and median cost information so consumers, advocates and policymakers can assess access for Medicaid beneficiaries. Supporters said that limited data makes it difficult for potential consumers to identify providers willing to accept Medicaid and evaluate whether past reimbursement increases achieved their intended effect.

There were no questions from committee members. A motion to hold the bill was made by Senator Issuer Lawyer and seconded by Senator Valverde; the committee voted to hold SB 696 for further study.

Because the measure alters Medicaid eligibility and requires new reporting, advocates said it could affect where people receive care and help the state evaluate progress toward its long‑term care rebalancing goals.

Votes at the committee were procedural: SB 696 was held for further study by voice vote.