Come September, private long-term care facilities must stop billing for rent and fees 10 days after a resident dies or their belongings have been removed from their room. Only Connecticut currently has such a law, said Brendan Williams, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Health Care Association.
A bill signed by Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday prohibits nursing homes and assisted-living facilities from enforcing a “30-day notice of vacancy policy,” in which they continue to bill for up to 30 days after a resident dies to cover costs of renovations before a new tenant moves in.
Sen. Bill Gannon, a Sandown Republican and the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 281, said during a Senate hearing in January that he received a $14,000 bill from his mother’s assisted-living facility after she passed and he had removed her belongings. While Gannon was able to lower his bill by negotiating with the facility, he said “there are others who have not stood up to facilities and have lost a lot of money,” according to the hearing report.
Williams said the new law won’t be a change for many private nursing homes because their billing policies are in line with the new law. But it will affect assisted-living facilities because they tend to spend more time and money renovating rooms, he said.
Williams said he urged lawmakers to follow Connecticut’s 15-day limit on bills to give facilities here a bit more time to get the work done, especially given the tight labor market.
Williams noted that other contracts, including those involving leases, are not limited the same way. “They made the decision that they made,” he said.
The law takes effect 60 days after passage.