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A Medicaid and CHIP state plan is an agreement between a state and the Federal government describing how that state administers its Medicaid and CHIP programs. It gives an assurance that a state will abide by Federal rules and may claim Federal matching funds for its program activities. The state plan sets out groups of individuals to be covered, services to be provided, methodologies for providers to be reimbursed and the administrative activities that are underway in the state.
When a state is planning to make a change to its program policies or operational approach, states send state plan amendments (SPAs) to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for review and approval. States also submit SPAs to request permissible program changes, make corrections, or update their Medicaid or CHIP state plan with new information.
Persons with disabilities having problems accessing the SPA PDF files may call 410-786-0429 for assistance.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to extend the reasonable opportunity period for certain non-citizens, allow hospital presumptive eligibility (PE) for additional groups and designates the State Medicaid Agency as a qualified entity for PE for MAGI groups, suspend all cost-sharing, modify the NF benefit to include health care isolation centers (HCIC) to provide COVID-related care for individuals who cannot safely remain at home or in a NF. It also suspends limits on private duty nursing services; allows physicians and other licensed practitioners, in accordance with state law, to order durable medical equipment; expands telehealth; and extends prior authorization for medications by automatic renewal without clinical review or time/quantity extensions. It also makes the following Payment changes: adds a telehealth originating site fee; increases payments for lab and NF services related to COVID; and increases limits on bed hold days. Finally, t designates COVID-19 quarantine or isolation levels of care as categorical qualification for pre-admission screening; and suspends state plan staffing requirements for NF ventilator weaning.
Summary: Incorporates various 2020 Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) updates (additions, deletions and description changes) to the Physician Office & Outpatient, Physician-Radiology, Physician-Surgery, and Psychology fee schedules. In addition, there are updates to the reimbursement methodology for specified drugs in order to comply with the approved Medicaid State Plan methodology for physician-administered drugs
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to provide flexibilities for presumptive eligibility, suspend all copayments, allow telehealth and provide an associated payment methodology, allow brand name products if generic prescription drugs are unavailable from the preferred drug list, and make interim payments to skilled nursing facilities.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to provide flexibilities in the areas of home health, transportation, telemedicine, inpatient hospital services, and pharmacy benefits.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to cover the new optional group for COVID testing, continue to consider residents who leave the Territory due to the disaster residents of the Territory, extend the reasonable opportunity period, allow 90-day supplies of drugs and early refills, extend all prior authorizations for medications without clinical review, or time/quantity extensions, allow exceptions to the Territory's preferred drug list in case of shortages, and allow use of telehealth methods in lieu of face-to-face reimbursed at 80% of the face-to-face rate.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to cover the new COVID-19 testing group; expand eligibility by disregarding income up to 138% FPL for certain individuals; expand Hospital Presumptive Eligibility (HPE) to certain groups and expand the number of HPE periods in a 12-month period to two HPE periods for certain groups; suspend cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment services; suspend enrollment fees, premiums, and similar charges for certain groups; allow physicians and other licensed practitioners (OLPs) to order Medicaid home health services; modify the rehabilitative services benefit in the Drug Medi-Cal State Plan to expand the uses for individual counseling visits; remove utilization controls on covered benefits to the extent such limits can’t be exceeded based on medical necessity; use telehealth by modifying the face-to-face requirement for State Plan benefits/services to be provided via all forms of telehealth, regardless of originating or distant site; adjust day supply or quantity limits for covered outpatient drugs; include non-legend acetaminophen-containing drugs, non-legend cough, and cold drugs that are covered outpatient drugs in the pharmacy benefit; and allow prior authorizations for medications to be expanded by automatic renewal without clinical review, or time/quantity extensions. This amendment also will add COVID-19 diagnostic tests and corresponding payment increases for these tests up to the corresponding Medicare level; increase current per diem rates by 10 percent to Nursing Facilities and ICF/DDs; modify the face-to-face requirement for virtual communications and allow for reimbursement as appropriate using HCPCS code G0071 at the Medicare rate; suspend requirements for face-to-face contact in the Drug Medi-Cal state plan program and treat non-face-to-face contacts as equivalent to face-to-face contacts; and pay for ancillary costs for Drug Medi-Cal services only.
Other temporary payment changes will allow the In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Individual Provider Rate to include payment for paid time off of IHSS providers related to COVID-19 sick leave benefits for a limited time period; and update the State-approved county governmental, contracted, and private individual provider rates fee schedule to reflect the additional sick leave mandated pursuant to the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act. For the Drug Medi-Cal and Specialty Mental Health programs in the state plan, the amendment will increase interim rates by 100%, and remove charges as a limit in cost settlement; exempt the clinical lab COVID-19 testing procedure codes from the 10 percent payment reduction mandated by state law; and add Associate Marriage and Family Therapists/Associate Clinical Social Workers (AMFTs/ACSWs) as billable provider types in FQHCs/RHCs.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to allow 2 presumptive eligibility periods during a 12-month period during the public health emergency; suspend cost-sharing for all COVID-19 related services; authorize up to 90-day supplies for maintenance drugs; expand prior authorization for medications; increases pharmacy reimbursement by adjusting dispensing fee; and make exceptions to the preferred drug list in case of drug shortages.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to adopt 12 month continuous eligibility for children under 19; suspend copayments related to COVID-19 diagnostic, testing, and treatment for eligible members; allow independently contracted psychologists to serve SoonerCare adults only for crisis intervention services during the emergency period; change the 34-day supply prescription quantity limit to allow for a 90-day supply; expand Prior Authorizations for medications; waive calendar year 2019 penalties for Potentially Preventable Readmissions program; increase the number of therapeutic leave days in nursing facilities (NFs) and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IIDs); and waive the provision that payments for therapeutic leave days could not exceed a maximum of 14 consecutive days per absence for ICF/IIDs.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to cover the new optional group for COVID testing, allow 90-day supplies of drugs and early refills, allow exceptions to the State's preferred drug list, allow use of telehealth service delivery methods in lieu of face-to-face when appropriate, and to establish supplemental payments for NF/ICF providers.
Summary: This time-limited state plan amendment responds to the COVID-19 national emergency. The purpose of this amendment is to waive residency requirement for individuals in state temporarily, extend reasonable opportunity period for non-citizens declaring satisfactory immigration status, suspend all cost-sharing for testing services, suspend premiums for certain populations, add temporary provisions allowing Community 1st Choice in Acute Hospital setting, allow students with completed coursework to practice as unlicensed mental health professionals, amend provider qualifications to remove First Aid & CPR requirements, expand Pharmacist scope of practice definition, increases allowable day-supply limits for prescription drugs, waive requirement for the return of unused unit dose medications dispensed in LTC based on infection control, increase reimbursement of professional dispensing fees due to incurred cost of delivery, allow the pricing methodology for covered outpatient drugs dispensed by a retail-based pharmacy to be bypassed when a medication’s acquisition cost exceeds the standard “lesser of” payment methodology logic through petitioning at the point of sale, provide exceptions to state's Preferred Drug List if a shortage occurs, and modify reimbursement to reflect a per-episode rate equal to current monthly rate for Infant Learning Program (ILP) & Long Term Services & Support (LTSS).
