To provide assisted living assistance through Medicaid and low-income housing tax credit.

Key Points

• This bill would make assisted living services a mandatory benefit under Medicaid. States would be required to cover care in assisted living residences for people who would otherwise need hospital or nursing facility care, as long as those individuals meet the state's income and resource requirements.
• There is a built-in cost control: the average annual Medicaid cost per person in assisted living must be no more than what it would cost to care for that person in a hospital or nursing facility. This ensures the new benefit does not increase overall Medicaid spending per person.
• The bill also changes how states allocate low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC). It adds a new priority for housing projects that reduce long-term care costs for elderly people by providing services in non-institutional settings like assisted living.
• If enacted, both the Medicaid expansion and the new housing tax credit priority would take effect on January 1, 2027. States that need to pass new legislation to comply may get extra time beyond that date.
• The overall goal is to shift elderly care away from expensive institutional settings like nursing homes and toward more home-like assisted living environments, while making these options financially accessible for low-income seniors through Medicaid.