00                  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 26                                                                   
01 Urging the Department of Health and Social Services to immediately adopt regulations                                    
02 to aggressively contain the costs of personal care services in the medical assistance                                   
03 program.                                                                                                                
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS the medical assistance program under AS 47.07 administered by the                                       
06 Department of Health and Social Services constitutes more than 10 percent of the state budget                           
07 and this program provides payment for eligible persons for certain personal care services; and                          
08       WHEREAS the recent growth of the medical assistance program is greater than 15                                  
09 percent a year and the growth has caused great concern for the legislature, resulting in the                            
10 authorization of cost containment measures in AS 47.07.036 in 2003; and                                                 
11       WHEREAS expenditures for personal care services are projected to increase at an                                 
12 even greater rate of over 65 percent in fiscal year 2004 alone; and                                                     
13       WHEREAS the Department of Health and Social Services is required to increase                                    
14 fiscal accountability and expenditures for the public assistance program by conducting audits                           
15 and undertaking other cost containment measures;                                                                        

01       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the Department of Health                                 
02 and Social Services to immediately adopt regulations to aggressively contain the costs of                               
03 personal care services in the medical assistance program under AS 47.07; and be it                                      
04       FURTHER RESOLVED that the commissioner of health and social services is                                         
05 requested to submit a report to the governor and to the legislature on the commissioner's                               
06 actions under this resolution not later than January 14, 2005.                                                          
07       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Frank Murkowski,                                       
08 Governor; and to the Honorable Joel Gilbertson, Commissioner, Department of Health and                                  
09 Social Services.