Pennsylvania Medicaid policy Archives - Page 37 of 43 - Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania

The Proposed FY 2014 Pennsylvania State Budget: Part 1 of 7

The Big Picture

Last Tuesday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett unveiled his proposed state FY 2014 budget. Later that day, members of the Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) received a comprehensive memo outlining the governor’s budget proposal with an emphasis on the issues that matter most to the state’s 61 private safety-net hospitals.
Over the next seven business days, SNAP will present the highlights of the governor’s budget, again with an emphasis on Medical Assistance and other matters of special interest to Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals.
The following is a schedule of the remaining six parts of this overview:

Today: the big picture underlying the proposed budget.
In this proposed budget, the Department of Public Welfare (DPW) projects a three percent increase in Medical Assistance enrollment and caseload in FY 2014. Overall, the DPW budget calls for $14.2 billion in total spending on Medical Assistance – a decrease of less than half a percent from the current fiscal year’s available funding.
While some of the proposed changes in the budget are spending decisions, others reflect a reduction in the state’s federal medical assistance percentage, or FMAP (the rate at which the federal government matches state Medicaid spending), which will fall from its current 54.28 percent to an estimated 53.52 percent during FY 2014. Consequently, in some cases, lower payments would reflect a reduced federal contribution rather than a state decision to reduce those payments.
The major themes of next year’s proposed Medical Assistance budget appear to be a continued state-wide expansion of the HealthChoices Medical Assistance managed care program and expanded access to community-based services for individuals with intellectual disabilities and the elderly.
The budget does not provide for the Medicaid expansion envisioned in the Affordable Care Act. Governor Corbett has conveyed to the federal government that he will not expand Medicaid eligibility at this time but his document states that such expansion will be the subject of further analysis and public discussion.
Tomorrow: The Major Medical Assistance Spending Categories

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-12T06:00:58+00:00February 12th, 2013|Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues, Proposed FY 2014 Pennsylvania state budget, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Path to FY 2013 EHR Payments Set

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has published Medical Assistance Bulletins that explain to providers how to pursue their Medicaid electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments for FY 2013.
The bulletin for eligible hospitals can be found here and the bulletin for eligible physicians and other providers can be found here .

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-11T06:00:17+00:00February 11th, 2013|Medical Assistance Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Health Law PA News

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published its January 2013 newsletter, which includes articles on the state’s budget process (including a schedule of upcoming budget hearings), the continued expansion of HealthChoices, changes in Medicaid-covered behavioral health and substance abuse services, limits on Medical Assistance benefits, the overall benefits of Medicaid expansion for Pennsylvania, and more.
Go here to download the Pennsylvania Health Law Project’s Health Law PA News.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-08T06:00:35+00:00February 8th, 2013|Meetings and notices, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues|Comments Off

PA Says No to Medicaid Expansion (For Now)

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has at least temporarily closed the door to the Medicaid expansion envisioned in the Affordable Care Act.
On the same day that he presented his proposed state budget for the 2014 fiscal year, Mr. Corbett wrote to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, explaining that

At this time, and without serious reforms, it would be financially unsustainable for Pennsylvania taxpayers, and I cannot recommend a dramatic Medicaid expansion.

See Governor Corbett’s letter to Secretary Sebelius here.
At the same time, however, the governor did not rule out the possibility of a change of heart sometime in the future. His proposed budget document explains that

At this time, analysis continues on the financial sustainability related to potential expansion of the Medicaid program. The Department of Public Welfare continues to have a dialogue with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in an effort to obtain clarification and answers on a number of issues, including whether essential reforms of the Medicaid program can be accomplished to improve the health of our citizens and the effectiveness of the program. The department is currently reviewing the recently released proposed regulations on eligibility and benefits from HHS. While due diligence continues, no decision has been made at this time.

The administration intends to engage in an informed dialogue with the public and the legislature on whether expansion of the Medicaid program is prudent, affordable and the right choice for the commonwealth. When a final decision is made, it will be done in consultation with the Legislature and it may require modifications to be made and accounted for in the budget.

The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) supports Medicaid expansion in the state.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-07T06:00:12+00:00February 7th, 2013|Health care reform, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

Proposed State Budget: Implications for PA Safety-Net Hospitals

Yesterday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett unveiled his proposed FY 2014 budget in a speech to the state’s General Assembly.
The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) has prepared a detailed summary of the budget proposal with an emphasis on provisions of particular importance to the state’s safety-net hospitals. To receive a copy of this memo, please contact SNAP at info@pasafetynet.org.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-06T06:00:23+00:00February 6th, 2013|Medicaid supplemental payments, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Pennsylvania state budget issues, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

PA Proposes Changes In Medicaid Eligibility System

The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare has asked the federal government for permission to make changes in its Medicaid eligibility system.
The request, submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this month, meets a federal deadline that will enable the state to gain federal matching funds to help pay for the upgrade.
Learn more about the state’s request and why it was submitted in this Central Penn Business Journal article .

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-05T06:00:26+00:00February 5th, 2013|Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Handicapping Medicaid Expansion in PA

Will he or won’t he?
That question is still on the minds of many as Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett continues neither to declare that the state will expand its Medicaid program as provided for in the Affordable Care Act nor to confirm the suspicion of most observers that he will choose not to expand the program beyond its current 2.2 million recipients.
As of right now, 12 states appear to be undecided about Medicaid expansion. The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) supports Medicaid expansion.
For a closer look at the situation in Pennsylvania, including an account of which interest groups are for expansion and which are not as enthusiastic as one might expect, read this column from the Central Penn Business Journal.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-02-01T06:00:35+00:00February 1st, 2013|Health care reform, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

Pennsylvania Health Law Project Newsletter

The Pennsylvania Health Law Project has published its January 2013 newsletter.
Targeted to the very population that Pennsylvania’s safety-net hospitals serve, this month’s newsletter includes features on the benefits of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid eligibility, and the uninsured in Pennsylvania. It also includes links to articles and features relevant to the state’s low-income population and the health care providers who serve them.
See the Pennsylvania Health Law Project’s January 2013 newsletter here .

PA Safety Net Admin2013-01-31T06:00:57+00:00January 31st, 2013|Health care reform, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

PA Prepares to Boost Medicaid Primary Care Rates

Pennsylvania will soon begin paying primary care providers more for the services they deliver to their Medical Assistance patients.
Under the Affordable Care Act, state Medicaid programs are required to pay primary care providers Medicare-level fees for calendar years 2013 and 2014. This policy was adopted as part of a broader effort to recruit more physicians to serve Medicaid patients at a time when Medicaid enrollment will increase significantly in most states.
Now, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) is presenting its plan for how it will go about implementing this federal requirement.
DPW has issued a new Medical Assistance Bulletin titled “Medical Assistance Program Fee for Select Primary Care Services and Physician Attestation Form” that identifies eligible providers and explains how they can go about receiving the enhanced payments. That bulletin can be found here. DPW also has issued an attestation form through which providers can assert their eligibility for the enhanced payments; that form, and directions for completing and submitting it, can be found here.

PA Safety Net Admin2013-01-29T06:00:39+00:00January 29th, 2013|Health care reform, Medical Assistance Bulletin, Pennsylvania Medicaid laws and regulations, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy|Comments Off

States Finding it Hard to Say No to Federal Medicaid Money

While many of the nation’s governors have ideological problems with many aspects of the Affordable Care Act, it appears that more of them are preparing to accept one major facet of the bill with which they particularly disagree: Medicaid expansion.
When the law passed, the mandatory expansion of Medicaid eligibility was one of its most controversial aspects and encountered a great deal of resistance from many governors. When the Supreme Court ruled last year that the mandate was unconstitutional, many governors indicated that they would decline the now-optional Medicaid expansion.
But as the time for implementing the Medicaid expansion draws closer, more governors are concluding that the lure of millions, and even billions, of “free” federal Medicaid matching dollars is too hard to resist.
In addition, some governors are concerned about appearances if they turn down the federal Medicaid money while a clause in the reform act would enable legal immigrants in their state to receive health insurance premium subsidies while other low-income residents remain ineligible for those subsidies and uninsured.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett has not yet announced his decision on whether the state will expand its Medicaid program but appears to be leaning against such an expansion. The Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania (SNAP) supports Medicaid expansion in the commonwealth.
Read about the challenges governors face in refusing the federal Medicaid money in this RealClearPolitics article and about the immigration twist on the issue in this Washington Post report .

PA Safety Net Admin2013-01-28T06:00:29+00:00January 28th, 2013|Health care reform, Pennsylvania Medicaid policy, Safety-Net Association of Pennsylvania|Comments Off

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