Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report Details Medicaid Developments in Mississippi, Tennessee and Utah
The following is a summary of recent action regarding Medicaid programs in Mississippi, Tennessee and Utah:
- Mississippi: Facing a projected $120 million Medicaid budget deficit in the next fiscal year, officials have made changes to nonemergency transportation services under Medicaid. The state currently spends an average of $1,000 per Medicaid beneficiary per year to transport them to and from medical appointments and pharmacies. To curb such costs, Medicaid beginning June 1 will no longer pay 36.5 cents per mile for relatives who transport beneficiaries, saving the state $2.3 million per year. In addition, starting July 1 the state will no longer pay for transportation of beneficiaries' companions, saving the state $1.6 million annually. Companions still will be permitted to ride with beneficiaries, but transportation companies will not be permitted to charge the state for their transportation costs, Mississippi Medicaid Executive Director Rica Payton said (Wagster, AP/Memphis Commercial Appeal, 5/22).
- Tennessee: The House Finance Committee on May 21 approved a bill that would require the state to conduct random audits to ensure that beneficiaries in TennCare, the state's Medicaid managed care program, are paying appropriate premiums. The bill would require the state to "double-check" income, employment status and assets only for beneficiaries who would not be eligible for fee-for-service Medicaid. The legislation also would require the state to investigate privatizing the program's eligibility verification system (Wade, Memphis Commercial Appeal, 5/22).
- Utah: In response to a $6.6 million Medicaid budget cut, Utah will halt dental, podiatry, speech and audiology services for about 32,000 beneficiaries. One June 1, dental services coverage will be eliminated for beneficiaries older than 21, and on July 2, coverage of speech, hearing and podiatry services will end (Goodman, Salt Lake Tribune, 5/22).
