Medicaid changes increase help for some disabled

Wednesday, May 14, 2003 | 9:54 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A Medicaid budget of nearly $2 billion that permits additional coverage for some disabled people and pays higher rates to some medical providers was approved by the Senate-Assembly budget subcommittee Tuesday.

The state would chip in more than $640 million, with the rest coming from the federal government and other sources.

The subcommittee approved a new program allowing employed disabled people to obtain Medicaid coverage through a buy-in mechanism. The program will be started in in 2004.

The state would pay about $2.6 million over the two fiscal years along with the premiums paid by the disabled and the federal funds.

The subcommittee also approved waivers for an additional 160 physically disabled people to get services from Medicaid. This would help provide essential personal assistance to people with severe disabilities. The cost is $4.3 million over two years, of which $1.9 million could come from the state.

Senate and Assembly members on the subcommittee deadlocked on waiving the "assets test" for pregnant women and their children to enter the Child Health Assurance Program that makes them eligible for Medicaid.

Under the test guidelines, women with assets such as homes, cars or valuables above a certain level would be ineligible. If this was waived, their income would still have to be below a certain poverty level to qualify.

The subcommittee voted to increase by 6.9 percent the rates paid health maintenance organizations that care for the medically needy. Pharmacy rates will increase 12.5 percent next fiscal year and an additional 12 percent in 2005.

There will also be rate increases for air ambulance, dental and personal care services for the disabled.

Rates paid some physicians could go down.

Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Society, said under the program some pediatric surgeons would face a 50 percent reduction in rates.

"They will not be able to see Medicaid patients," he told the subcommittee.

Chuck Duarte, head of the Medicaid program, said Nevada was No. 1 in the nation in Medicaid payments for surgical services. He said the state does not want to lose pediatric surgeons.

Medicaid payments for obstetricians-gynecologists would remain the same under the budget approved by the subcommittee.