House orders third reading of bill to study Medicaid rates for home- and community-based providers

Montpelier — The Vermont House of Representatives on Feb. 18 advanced H.13, an act directing the Agency of Human Services to determine “reasonable and adequate” Medicaid reimbursement rates for home- and community-based service providers, designated agencies, and specialized service agencies, and ordered the bill for third reading after adopting committee-recommended amendments.

The bill directs the secretary of human services to develop a rate-setting methodology that accounts for state and federal mandates, cost of goods and services, inflation, labor-market pressures and geographic differences. It also requires a schedule for reviewing rates at least every five years, a process for annual inflationary adjustments, and a mechanism for emergency financial relief for providers at imminent risk of closure.

Why it matters: Supporters said the study is…