What's happening
This bill increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for rural home health care providers to cover higher transportation costs.
Why it matters
Addresses financial sustainability for rural home health providers. by ensuring Medicaid reimbursement rates are adjusted to cover higher transportation costs, which are often a significant barrier for providers operating in remote or sparsely populated areas.
Aims to improve access to home health care for rural Medicaid recipients. by making it more feasible for agencies to serve these communities, potentially reducing disparities in health care access between urban and rural populations.
Requires the development of specific methodologies for calculating rural delivery costs. , separating transportation expenses from direct personal care costs, which could lead to more accurate and equitable funding allocations.
Includes all eligible home health services, including those under federal waivers. , so the change could have a broad impact on the types and scope of services available to rural residents, possibly resulting in better health outcomes and more comprehensive care options.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Approved home health agencies serving rural areas
The bill would increase Medicaid reimbursement for qualifying aide services to cover the additional transportation costs of rural service delivery.
Rural Medicaid recipients receiving home health services
The reimbursement increase would cover services for eligible recipients, including those obtained through federal waivers.
New York State Department of Health
The commissioner would designate rural areas by regulation and develop methods to calculate transportation costs separately from direct personal care costs.
Health home providers serving Medicaid enrollees with chronic conditions
The bill would add transportation costs to the factors used to establish payment methods for health home services.
Headline styles
Boost Pay for Rural Home Care
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Raise Rural Home Health Pay
In Assembly Committee · Health · Sponsor Billy Jones
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2528
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 28, 2019
Introduced by Sen. LITTLE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to Medicaid reimbursement rates for rural home health care providers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 368-a of the social services law is amended by adding a new paragraph (g-1) to read as follows:
(g-1) Notwithstanding paragraph (g) of this subdivision, section three hundred sixty-four-j of this title or any other provision of law, reimbursement for home health services provided in accordance with paragraph (d) of subdivision two of section three hundred sixty-five-a of this title by an individual or shared aide provided by an approved home health agency when such services are determined to be cost effective and appropriate to meet the recipient's needs for assistance, where such services are delivered in a rural area of the state, to be designated by the commissioner in regulation, shall be increased to include an amount necessary to cover the disparate transportation costs associated with providing such services in rural areas. The commissioner shall develop methodologies for calculating such delivery costs which are separate from direct personal care. Such reimbursement increase shall include all home health services provided for eligible recipients under this article, including those available or obtained through federal waivers.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 365-l of the social services law, as added by section 37 of part H of chapter 59 of the laws of 2011, is amended to read as follows:
1. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the commissioner of health is authorized, in consultation with the commissioners of the office of mental health, office of alcoholism and substance abuse services, and office for people with developmental disabilities, to (a) establish, in accordance with applicable federal law
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02223-01-9
S. 2528 2
and regulations, standards for the provision of health home services to Medicaid enrollees with chronic conditions, (b) establish payment methodologies for health home services based on factors including but not limited to the complexity of the conditions providers will be managing, the anticipated amount of patient contact needed to manage such conditions, transportation costs, and the health care cost savings realized by provision of health home services, (c) establish the criteria under which a Medicaid enrollee will be designated as being an eligible individual with chronic conditions for purposes of this program, (d) assign any Medicaid enrollee designated as an eligible individual with chronic conditions to a provider of health home services.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to Medicaid reimbursement rates for rural home health care providers
Purpose
To ensure rural home health care providers are properly reimbursed.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of this legislation provides proper reimbursement, designated by the commissioner of health, for an individual or shared aide provided by an approved home health agency, where such services are required to be delivered in a rural area of the state. The commissioner of health shall increase the amount necessary to cover the disparate transporta- tion costs associated with providing such services in rural areas. The commissioner shall also develop methodologies for calculating such delivery costs, taking into account the costs associated with direct personal care including, but not limited to, the nursing home transition and diversion waiver.
Section 2 makes the commissioner of the health authorized, in consulta- tion with the commissioners of the office of mental health, office of alcoholism and substance abuse services, and office for people with developmental disabilities, to establish in accordance with applicable federal law and regulations, standards for the provision of health home services to Medicaid enrollees with chronic conditions, establish payment methodologies for health home services based on factors includ- ing but not limited to the complexity of the conditions providers will be managing the anticipated amount of patient contact needed to manage such conditions, transportation costs, and health care cost savings realized by provisions of health home services. This section would also establish criteria under which a Medicaid enrollee will be designated as being an eligible individual with chronic conditions for purposes of this program, and assign any Medicaid enrollee designated as an eligible individual with chronic conditions to a provider of health home services.
Section 3 provides the effective date.
Justification
Current individuals and home health care providers are not being proper- ly reimbursed for the cost necessary to cover the disparate transporta- tion costs associated with providing such services in rural areas.
Legislative history
New Bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.