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Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following:
‘Resolve, Regarding the Impact of Minimum Wage Increases and Paid Time Off Requirements on MaineCare Reimbursement Rates’
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the title and inserting the following:
‘Sec. 1 Department of Health and Human Services to study the impact of minimum wage increases and earned paid leave on MaineCare rates. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall study the impact of increases to the minimum wage pursuant to the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 26, section 664, subsection 1 and any statutory requirements for earned paid leave on the reimbursement rates for all services provided under department rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter III. The department shall develop an assessment of future shortfalls in the sufficiency of MaineCare rates related to increases in the minimum wage and new requirements for earned paid leave and develop a plan to ensure that reimbursement rates remain sufficient to cover any future increases. The department may consult or contract with any experts or stakeholders that the department determines appropriate. The department shall report its findings, together with any recommendations and suggested legislation, to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services no later than March 1, 2020.’
 
SUMMARY
This amendment replaces the bill, which is a concept draft. It requires the Department of Health and Human Services to study the impact of increases in the minimum wage and any statutory requirements for earned paid leave on the reimbursement rates for all services reimbursed under the department's rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter III. The department is required to develop an assessment of future shortfalls and develop a plan to ensure that reimbursement rates remain sufficient to cover any future increases. The department may consult or contract with any experts or stakeholders that the department determines appropriate. The department shall report its findings, recommendations and suggested legislation to the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services no later than March 1, 2020.