The Medicaid Pay Parity program was a provision outlined within the Affordable Care Act that increased Medicaid provider reimbursement to match that of Medicare providers. This provision expired on December 31, 2014 and was not extended nationally. However, some states are choosing to continue Medicaid pay parity.
7 States chose to extend Medicaid pay parity: Alabama, Colorado, Iowa, Maryland, Mississippi, and New Mexico. In addition, Alaska is paying doctors even more than the Medicare rate.
8 states chose to increase Medicaid reimbursement, but not to the full Medicare rate: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, and South Carolina
In addition to these state legislative action, federal legislative action was taken in the form of the Medicaid Parity Act of 2015 (H.R.1502). This bill was introduced by Representative John Lewis on March 19, 2015 and was referred to the Subcommittee on Health on March 20, 2015. This bill seeks to amend title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to extend through 2019.
Another bill, the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women and Children Act, (H.R.2253), was introduced by Representative Kathy Castor in the House of Representatives on May 12, 2015. It was referred to the Subcommittee on Health on May 15, 2015. This bill seeks to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to extend the application of the Medicare payment rate floor to primary care services furnished under Medicaid and to apply the rate floor to additional providers of primary care services.
Title | Source | Date |
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Massachusetts will ask Medicaid patients about quality of care | The Boston Globe | January 15, 2019 |
McAuliffe gives up on Medicaid effort, pushes new plan for Virginia | Modern Healthcare | September 8, 2014 |
Medicaid expansion gets extra boost from governor races | The Hill | November 10, 2018 |
Medicaid expansion passes Montana Legislature | Modern Healthcare | April 18, 2015 |
Medicaid expansion tied to fewer heart-related deaths, study finds | CNN | April 5, 2019 |
Medicaid Expansion: Swapping Health Clinics for PCMH | MedPage Today | August 12, 2014 |
Medicaid Health Plans are Improving Access and Quality of Care | AHIP Coverage | July 8, 2015 |
Medicaid managed care provding more specialists, more success | The Augusta Chronicle | March 31, 2015 |
Medicaid Parity Is Key Topic CMS Official Addresses in Meeting With FPs | AAFP News | November 5, 2014 |
Medicaid Pay Hike Opened Doors For Patients, Study Finds | Kaiser Health News | January 21, 2015 |