Tag: medicaid

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – CMS has approved Tennessee’s request for a block grant waiver for its state Medicaid program, TennCare, AAHomecare reports. The new program will allow TennCare to administer Medicaid with less oversight from the federal government, increasing its flexibility. The new block grant waiver – known as TennCare III – came after the General Assembly passed a law in 2019 directing Gov. Bill Lee’s administration to negotiate...

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Human Services has temporarily suspended its plans to recoup payments where the state Medicaid program paid more for DME than Medicare did in 2018 per the 21st Century Cures Act, MAMES reports. In December, the state association received a letter from the state saying, “DHS has temporarily suspended our processes for these recoveries.” MAMES believes the pause is due to the current public health emergency. “There...

BUFFALO, N.Y. - State Medicaid programs are keeping a close watch on the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the progress of relief-related packages in Congress as they make their budget plans for 2021, says Don Clayback. That's the takeaway that Clayback, the executive director of NCART, had after attending the virtual meeting of the National Association of Medicaid Directors earlier this month. “With all of the COVID-19 expenses going on, along with the drop in revenues at the state level,...

HARTFORD, Conn. - With many state Medicaid programs facing increased enrollment but decreased budgets, the timing of CareCentrix's recent expansion into the Medicaid managed care market couldn't be better, says Scott Markovich. “The largest pot of money is Medicaid for most governors,” said Markovich, the company's new general manager of Medicaid. “We are going to see a shifting of funds, as more people tax the system. They will transfer the risk to health plans and that's where...

RICHMOND, Va. - Stakeholders in Virginia are lobbying for a budget amendment that would help to safeguard DME providers by ensuring that Medicaid MCOs can't force contract terms that are unfair or unequitable, according to ACMESA. HB5005 482.20 #59h would place a threshold on how much MCOs can discount off the Virginia Medicaid fee schedule, helping to ensure that patients have access to equipment and services, and to protect providers from additional rate reductions. Stakeholders argue the amendment,...

RALEIGH, N.C. - North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on July 2 signed Bill 808, including a provision creating a rate floor for durable medical equipment.The bill, a year in the making by groups like ACMESA and AAHomecare, prohibits managed care organizations from setting rates below the state's Medicaid fee-for-service rates for DME.“ACMESA's strong relationship with AAHomecare enabled us to learn from the problems experienced in other states as they rolled out their MCO programs,” said Craig...

President Trump has extended the deadline for small businesses to apply for a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program to Aug. 8. The original deadline was June 30, but as of that date, there was $130 billion still available in funding. On July 4, President Trump signed a bill that would extend the deadline to Aug. 8. “Any business that meets the qualifications for the program but has not yet applied now gets a second chance at the popular program,” VGM Government Relations stated in...

WASHINGTON —AAHomecare is working to get equitable treatment for HME suppliers who have been denied Medicaid-based relief.The Department of Health and Human Services has opened an application portal for CARES Act relief for Medicaid/CHIP-only providers who have directly billed those programs between Jan. 1, 2018 and May 31, 2020.Suppliers have reported that they have been denied any Medicaid-related relief because they received small Medicare relief payments. Even companies who declined to...

WASHINGTON - The Department of Health and Human Services is distributing an additional $15 billion in relief funding from the Provider Relief Fund, this time specifically for health care providers that participate in state Medicaid and CHIP programs, VGM reports.To be eligible, providers must meet two requirements:Not have received payments from the first two rounds of relief funding from the Provider Relief Fund General DistributionsHave directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid...

WASHINGTON - AAHomecare has asked the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to include HME suppliers in any future rounds of relief for providers who bill Medicaid. In a letter to HHS Deputy Secretary Eric Hargan, the association states: “There are many HME suppliers who do not participate in Medicare but do serve a substantial number of Medicaid beneficiaries; these suppliers did not receive any of the Medicare-based relief from the initial disbursement of CARES Act funds. We believe...