Requires the EOHHS to amend the state Medicaid plan and secure sufficient state general revenue to increase Medicaid payment rates to an amount equal to one hundred thirty percent (130%) of Medicare rates for outpatient clinical pediatric services.

Plain-English Summary

This bill would require Rhode Island's Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) to increase how much the state pays doctors and clinics when they provide outpatient medical care to children covered by Medicaid (the government health insurance program for lower-income families). Specifically, it would set those payments at 130% of what Medicare — the federal health program for seniors — pays for similar services. Currently, Medicaid reimbursement rates are often significantly lower than Medicare rates, which can make it financially difficult for providers to see Medicaid patients.

The bill would also require EOHHS to update the state's official Medicaid plan to reflect these new rates and to find enough money from the state's general fund (the main pool of tax dollars Rhode Island collects) to cover the increased costs. In other words, the state would need to budget additional funds to make these higher payment rates possible.

The people most directly affected would be children enrolled in Rhode Island's Medicaid program and the doctors, pediatricians, and clinics that treat them. Supporters of similar policies generally argue that higher reimbursement rates encourage more providers to accept Medicaid patients, making it easier for families to find care. The bill would also affect Rhode Island taxpayers, since covering the higher rates would require state general revenue funding.

The bill has been introduced and referred to the House Finance Committee, where lawmakers will review its potential costs and implications before deciding whether to move it forward.