DOH Updates Stakeholders on Medicaid Budget
In a webinar held on April 26th, the Department of Health (DOH) assembled an array of issue area experts to walk through Medicaid matters that were addressed in the recently enacted 2022-23 State Budget. Anchored by Acting State Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri, the panel outlined a wide variety of issues, including those of interest to long term care providers. Medicaid CFO Michael Ogborn echoed the recently circulated notice confirming that the across-the-board 1.5 percent Medicaid payment reduction was discontinued starting with April 1st date of service. He also confirmed that the 1 percent rate increase would be calculated on the operating component of the Medicaid rate for facility-based providers. The 1 percent rate increase applies to managed care as well, with DOH sending a slightly different message regarding expectations regarding the use of funding than during the Executive Budget Proposal briefing.
Although all of the provisions were discussed, there were limited new insights, and most of the more detailed questions LeadingAge NY submitted in advance of the event will need to be addressed in an individual meeting with DOH. While mentioning the key priorities of interest to long term care providers, there were no insights about when and how nursing home staffing funding may flow or how providers should seek to access some of the funding dedicated to financially distressed organizations.
DOH suggested that reviewing the list of job roles eligible for health care/mental hygiene worker bonuses would provide the best current insight on eligibility and confirmed that home care aides were not eligible for bonuses while other home care positions listed were. Staff also reviewed Medicaid eligibility expansions, including providing coverage to approximately 25,000 undocumented seniors who would be eligible for benefits and services equivalent to the Mainstream Managed Care benefit but would not be eligible to enroll into a Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plan.
The event was recorded and is expected to be posted on the Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) budget site shortly. The slides used during the presentation are available here.
Contact: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8841