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Med‑tech maker asks for higher Medicaid payment for VNS implant therapy to improve access
Summary
LivaNova urged the subcommittee to increase Medicaid payment rates for VNS (vagus nerve stimulation) implant procedures, arguing better reimbursement would increase access for people with drug‑resistant epilepsy and save Medicaid money over time.
Timothy Sweeney, representing LivaNova, asked the Senate Medicaid subcommittee to support an amendment that would raise Medicaid payment rates for VNS (vagus nerve stimulation) therapy, an implanted neuromodulation treatment used for people with drug‑resistant epilepsy.
Sweeney said VNS can reduce seizure burden, depressive symptoms and health care utilization for people whose seizures are not controlled by medications. He presented a five‑year budget impact model that, he said, could yield $5,000,000 in cost savings for Ohio Medicaid based on an annual implant average of 77 members, arguing that the higher device and implant payments would be offset by lower downstream costs.
Sweeney also told the committee that current payments reimburse roughly 40–50% of hospital costs for a VNS implant, and that a 2020 modest payment increase had not fixed access problems. He noted other states had modified systems to increase payment and access. The committee did not take formal action during the hearing.
