Senate Bill 54, heard May 28, would authorize the Division of Health Care Financing and Policy (DHCFP) to apply for federal waivers or state-plan amendments to include medical respite care under Medicaid for people experiencing homelessness. The hearing featured the City of Las Vegas, which operates a 40‑bed recuperative care center (RCC) opened during the pandemic.

Deputy City Manager Sabra Newby said the facility has served more than 1,100 patients since 2020, with an average stay of about 58 days and a housing placement rate of approximately 52 percent on discharge. City and hospital witnesses said the respite model reduces repeated emergency and inpatient utilization by providing a medically supervised recovery environment for people discharged from hospitals who lack safe homes to recover in. Supporters pointed to other states that have secured federal approval for similar programs and urged the committee to allow DHCFP to pursue federal participation and to set standards for eligible facilities.

Silver Summit Health Plan and other managed‑care stakeholders supported the measure as a path to improved care for a high‑need population and potential Medicaid savings from avoided readmissions. Some witnesses cautioned against overreliance on short-term episodic care and urged codified expectations for follow-up behavioral-health, housing and case‑management services. The bill was advanced by the committee in work session.

Ending: Committee members advanced SB54 and indicated implementation will depend on federal approvals and DHCFP program standards; stakeholders flagged the need for coordinated housing and behavioral-health follow-up.