The Pennsylvania General Assembly recently passed a bill that establishes a separate category for assisted living facilities in the state separate from the current category that classifies them them same way as personal-care homes or personal care providers. Many states have already made this designation a part of their state law and others, such as Pennsylvania, are making the distinction in a effort to keep up with their growing senior housing needs.
The proposed regulation is a step in the right direction after our review but we agree that the proposed legislation should have some changes made before being passed into law. For example, individuals would relinquish control over their health care and choice of health-care providers upon entering the facility. Another point of concern is the ability to evict the consumer from the facility with no proposed way of challenging the eviction.
For a more thorough view on the legislation, see the Pennsylvania Health Law Project and The Pennsylvania Assisted Living Consumer Alliance.
