House Human Services reviews H.13 draft to set schedule and methodology for Medicaid home- and community-based rates

The Vermont House Human Services Committee on Thursday examined a revised strike-all for H.13 that would require a formal schedule and methodology for reviewing Medicaid reimbursement rates paid to providers of home- and community-based services.

The committee asked the Agency of Human Services to report back with a proposed schedule and implementation plan — not a completed statewide rate study — by next January so members can see which provider types will be reviewed and when. The move reflects concerns that a five-year review cadence could leave some services unexamined for too long unless an earlier timeline or emergency mechanism is specified.

“For those of you who are new, what I typically do when I bring you a new version of a bill that we have marked up is that I incorporate all of the changes that we looked at last time that you liked,” said Jen Carvey of the Office of Legislative Council, introducing draft 2.1 of the bill and the committee’s recent edits. The draft adds a requirement that rate studies be scheduled at least once every five years and that rulemaking specify methodology, inflation adjustments and use of Vermont labor-market and cost-of-operation data.

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