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Committee hears bill to declare long-term institutional care an "essential" service amid payment and definition concerns
Summary
A House committee reviewed Proyecto de la Cámara 998 to classify institutional long-term care as an essential service; health and family officials and industry groups backed the idea but asked for clearer language, asked for data on payment delays and raised questions about fiscal and emergency-response implications.
San Juan — The House of Representatives' Commission on Older Adults and Social Welfare held a public hearing on Proyecto de la Cámara 998, a bill that would designate institutional long-term care for older adults and people with functional diversity as an essential service, potentially speeding government payments and unlocking exemptions and priority treatment during declared emergencies.
Department of Health representative Dr. Luis Olmedo said the agency supports the bill as a way to "asegurar la continuidad y accesibilidad de los servicios de cuidado prolongado" and urged lawmakers to use person-centered language in the statute. "Es importante y recomendable que nuestros estatutos mantengan los principios de respeto y dignidad humana utilizando un lenguaje centrado en la persona," he said during his presentation.
The Association of Owners of Long-Term Care Centers, represented by Dr. Minerva Gómez, strongly backed the measure, arguing facilities provide continuous, nonoptional care and that payment delays threaten residents' homes. "La clasificación del cuido prolongado institucionalizado como servicio…
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