Establishes the Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement rates set by the general assembly as the rate floor for Medicaid managed care by home care, home nursing care and hospice providers.

Plain-English Summary

This bill deals with how much money home care agencies, home nursing care providers, and hospice organizations get paid when they serve patients enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans. Right now, these providers may be paid different — and sometimes lower — amounts depending on the specific managed care insurance plan a patient is enrolled in. This bill would set a minimum payment floor, requiring that managed care plans pay these providers at least as much as the standard Medicaid fee-for-service rates that the Rhode Island General Assembly already sets by law.

In practical terms, this means that no managed care insurance plan contracting with Medicaid could pay a home care, home nursing, or hospice provider less than the baseline rate established by the state legislature. If a managed care plan currently pays below that baseline, it would be required to bring its payments up to meet it.

The people most directly affected are home care workers, home health nurses, and hospice staff, who may see more stable or improved reimbursement for their services. Patients who rely on these services — often elderly or disabled Rhode Islanders living at home — could also benefit if higher payment rates help providers stay financially stable and keep their doors open. Medicaid managed care insurance plans operating in Rhode Island would need to adjust their payment structures to comply.

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