249H.2  Legislative findings — goal.
  1.  The general assembly finds that:
  a.  The preservation, improvement, and coordination of the health care infrastructure of Iowa are critical to the health and safety of Iowans.
  b.  An increasing number of seniors and persons with disabilities in the state requires long-term care services provided outside of a medical institution.
  c.  A full array of long-term care services is necessary to provide cost-effective and appropriate services to the varied population of health care consumers.
  d.  The supported development of long-term care alternatives, including assisted-living facility services, adult day services, and home and community-based services, is critical in areas of the state where such alternatives otherwise are not likely to be developed.
  e.  Cost containment in the delivery of health care is necessary to improve services and access for all Iowans.
  f.  Grants are necessary to cover the expenditures related to the development of alternative health care services. Development of these alternatives will improve access to and delivery of long-term care services to underserved individuals or in underserved areas, which will in turn contain or reduce the cost and improve the quality of health care services.
  g.  A continuing source of funding is necessary to enhance the state’s ability to meet the rising demand of seniors with low and moderate incomes in obtaining an appropriate variety of long-term care services.
  2.  The goal of this program is to create a comprehensive long-term care system that is consumer-directed, provides a balance between the alternatives of institutionally and noninstitutionally provided services, and contributes to the quality of the lives of Iowans.
2000 Acts, ch 1004, §2, 22; 2000 Acts, ch 1232, §59; 2001 Acts, ch 64, §8