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Sen. Quick and home‑care providers urge standard pay rates for Aged and Disabled waiver services
Summary
Supporters of LB486 told the Health and Human Services Committee that Nebraska’s current individually negotiated personal‑care reimbursement process produces wide pay disparities, makes workforce planning difficult and weakens rural access; testifiers also questioned DHHS’s fiscal note estimating tens of millions in new costs.
Sen. Dan Quick (District 35) opened the hearing on LB486 by saying the bill would end case‑by‑case rate negotiations and require the Department of Health and Human Services to adopt a standardized reimbursement schedule for personal‑care services under the Aged and Disabled (A&D) Medicaid waiver.
The bill’s supporters — including executives from AmaniCare and Caretech and representatives of LeadingAge Nebraska, The Arc of Nebraska and the Nebraska Home Care Association — told the committee that the department’s current approach lets resource directors negotiate different hourly rates with individual providers, producing “vastly different” pay for the same service in the same community. Tim Martens, chief operating officer at AmaniCare, said providers in identical markets are being reimbursed…
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