RS 40:1250.2: Legislative findings; declaration

A. The legislature hereby finds all of the following:

(1) Access to quality services for persons with developmental, intellectual, adult-onset, or physical disabilities furnished by private providers is essential for the health, safety, and well being of those persons.

(2) Reliable and sufficient Medicaid reimbursement rates for private providers are necessary to create and maintain a sustainable statewide system of services for eligible individuals with disabilities.

(3) A statewide system of services is sustainable only if reimbursement rates are sufficient to enlist providers in numbers great enough to allow eligible individuals a choice among different providers who are capable of delivering quality services that will meet the assessed needs of those individuals in a timely manner.

B. The legislature hereby declares that this state must take steps to foster and maintain a robust network that attracts and retains quality providers which are capable of maintaining a stable workforce and are sufficient in number to allow for meaningful choices among providers by individuals eligible to receive disability services.