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Senate approves licensure bill for community health workers to enable Medicaid reimbursement
Summary
The Senate passed a bill establishing licensure for community health workers, a change sponsors said would enable Medicaid and insurer reimbursement and expand use of community-based support.
The Mississippi Senate approved legislation to establish licensure for community health workers, sponsor Sen. Bridal said on the floor.
Sponsor’s explanation: Senator Bridal described community health workers as individuals who work directly with patients, often in homes or nonmedical settings, and said the bill creates a licensure pathway that would allow Medicaid and other payers to reimburse their services. “A community health worker is one who deals with patients directly, frequently in their homes or in other non medical settings,” Bridal said. He and supporters argued licensure could reduce health-care costs by supporting patients outside traditional clinical settings.
Final action: The Senate recorded final passage by the morning roll call; the transcript reflects senators asked that all present be recorded as voting aye. The bill passed with the usual motion and roll-call procedure.
Details and limitations: The bill’s text is lengthy and includes conformity language; the sponsor said it creates a licensure structure but the transcript did not include specific fee schedules, certification timelines, or Medicaid billing codes. The measure was described as allowing Medicaid reimbursement but no fiscal estimates or implementation deadlines were provided.
Next steps: Administrative rules, certification processes, and any Medicaid rule changes would be handled by the implementing agencies; the transcript did not specify those agencies or timelines.
