05/05/1998 07:30 PM House FIN

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 11                                            
                                                                               
Creating the Long-Term Care Task Force.                                        
                                                                               
MARILYN WILSON, STAFF, SENATOR BERT SHARP, stated that as                      
Alaska's senior community grows, it is necessary that the                      
State plan for the long-term care and needs of these                           
citizens.                                                                      
                                                                               
She continued, while it is the desirable goal of most                          
families to provide home care for their elderly parents,                       
the realty is that most will live in a long-term care                          
facilities.  Either way, the costs of providing long-term                      
care is becoming insurmountable to the State and to our                        
private citizens.                                                              
                                                                               
In an effort to assure our senior citizens are getting the                     
best care possible, the Legislature in 1996, established a                     
working group to analyze long-term care services available                     
in the State and their projected costs.                                        
                                                                               
Ms. Wilson stated that SCR 11 would create a long-term care                    
task force.  Their mission would be to review the findings                     
of that working group and to develop an equitable plan for                     
providing an actuarially sound and affordable long-term                        
care option for all of Alaska's senior citizens.  She urged                    
the Committee to support of the proposed legislation.                          
                                                                               
Representative J. Davies MOVED to report CSSCR 11 (FIN) out                    
of Committee with individual recommendations and with the                      
accompanying fiscal notes.  There being NO OBJECTION, it                       
was so ordered.                                                                
                                                                               
CSSCR 11 (FIN) was reported out of Committee with a "no                        
recommendation" and with fiscal notes by the Department of                     
Commerce and Economic Development dated 3/4/98, the Office                     
of the Governor dated 3/4/98 and the Legislative Finance                       
Division dated 3/4/98.