2022 priorities
Preserving the promise and strength of Medicaid means protecting and strengthening the public policies that determine how we get healthcare and supports through this government program in both St. Paul and Washington, D.C.
CONTINUOUS ELIGIBILITY/CHURN
During the pandemic, people have not needed to complete annual renewals to stay on Medical Assistance (MA), and we have seen a steep decline in the number of new MA enrollments each month. This highlights how many typical monthly enrollments are due to “churn,” the harmful and wasteful cycle of eligible MA recipients being mistakenly disenrolled during the renewal process, and then re-applying when a medical need arises. Churn interrupts provider relationships, reduces medication adherence, and increases administrative costs. This proposal (pending introduction) would reduce churn and improve continuity of coverage through 1) 12 month continuous eligibility, allowing people to remain enrolled for 12 months at a time and 2) ensuring multiple attempts to reach enrollees for renewal information prior to dis-enrolling them for non-response.
LIFE SHARING
This proposal would direct DHS to work with stakeholders to develop a new covered waivered service known as Life Sharing. Life Sharing is a nurturing and supportive family-style living option for adults with disabilities who are 18 years or older. Currently, Life Sharing is not a formal waiver service in Minnesota. While similar supports can be accessed, the current framework and absence of a statewide service model for Life Sharing has created barriers to accessing this service. Creating a formal statewide waiver service and reimbursement model through meaningful stakeholder engagement will increase awareness, accessibility and viability of person-centered, community-based and culturally responsive supports for Minnesotans with disabilities.
MA-EDP
This proposal aims to make changes to Minnesota’s program for Employed People with Disabilities, which is a Medicaid program for people who have disabilities who work and pay taxes. People who use MA-EPD pay an amount each month to get this coverage based on how much money they make. This proposal aims to reduce how much people pay each month for coverage because and would make other changes to simplify the program. These changes will encourage more people who have disabilities to work by removing barriers to keeping Medicaid while working.
PCA RATE FRAMEWORK
The Personal Care Assistance program is a critical service that supports nearly 44,000 Minnesotans with disabilities and older adults and is one of the lowest rate programs. This proposal continues the work that passed last session of creating a cost-based, data driven rate framework for the PCA Service, by adding scheduled re-evaluation of labor market cost data and inflationary adjustments to the rate framework. With the budget surplus in Minnesota, we are also asking for an increase to the current $19.60 hourly rate for the PCA service.
PRESUMPTIVE ELIGIBILITY
Minnesota should adopt a policy known as presumptive eligibility to fast-track applicants likely eligible for Medicaid to start receiving services in their home when the need arises. Today, older adults and people with disabilities who need long term care often wait up to 90 days to establish eligibility. As a result many individuals who want home care are funneled to costly nursing homes instead.
TOBACCO CESSATION
This Is Medicaid will advocate in support of legislation to remove barriers to tobacco cessation treatment for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare enrollees, ensuring more Minnesotans have a comprehensive cessation benefit that covers individual, group, and telephone counseling and all FDA-approved tobacco cessation medications without cost-sharing or other barriers to accessing care. The bill would also ensure that providers trained to provide tobacco and nicotine counseling, including community health workers, mental health practitioners, and alcohol and drug counselors, are able to be reimbursed for delivering this type of care.
WORKFORCE IDEAS
The workforce crisis is creating significant challenges for Minnesotans with disabilities and older adults. This proposal includes three ideas, the first two help to maximize the existing workforce, and the third removes barriers to employment for PCAs. 1. Create an Emergency PCA overtime fund. 2. Allow parents of minors and spouses of individuals on the CDCS and CFSS programs to provide and be paid for more than 40 hours of care a week. 3. Upgrade the Minnesota Provider Screening and Enrollment Portal to improve the onboarding process for PCAs who are required to be affiliated with each agency they work for.