Trenton – Building on a key provision in this year’s budget, the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee today advanced a bill sponsored by Senators Vin Gopal and Robert Singer that would establish a minimum Medicaid reimbursement rate for providers of adult medical day care services.
“Whether treating a patient through a traditional Medicaid fee for service delivery system, or through a managed care system, the per diem reimbursement rate should be consistent. In our bill, that rate would be no less than the established State Medicaid rate,” said Senator Gopal (D-Monmouth), who co-sponsored the legislation along with Senator Singer (R-Ocean).
The bill, S2561, codifies the FY 2021 budget language tying the managed care rate to the Medicaid fee for service rate.
Crucially, the bill also recognizes the needs of adult medical day care services, especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, by increasing the minimum reimbursement rate to support essential services, now and in the future. Adult day care remains important, allowing those most in need of preventative, diagnostic, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services to maintain a level of independence while accessing these services close to their own communities.
“In a time of medical emergency such as this, New Jersey needs all hands on deck to deal with this crisis,” added Senator Gopal. “Providing proper reimbursement rates for those serving some of our most at-risk adults just makes good medical sense.”
The bill was released from the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee by a vote of 7-0.