Children, Families, Health, & Human Services Interim Committee

Children and Families Committee to Start Studies, Review Medicaid Provider Rate Cuts

Committee: Children, Families, Health, & Human Services Interim Committee
Author: Sue O'Connell
Posted on September 1, 2017


image of a sunset over Swiftcurrent Lake in Glacier National Park

The Children, Families, Health, and Human Services Interim Committee will cover topics ranging from prescription drug costs to services for developmentally disabled adults to Medicaid funding and Medicaid provider rate cuts when it meets on Sept. 11.

A subcommittee focusing on transparency in health care pricing will meet on Sept. 12.

The full committee has set aside two hours on Sept. 11 for public comment on proposed reductions in the rates paid to Medicaid providers. The committee has informally objected to administrative rules that would cut most rates by about 3.5 percent. Members must decide whether to continue their objection to the rules. If they do, the Department of Public Health and Human Services would not be able to reduce rates as planned on Oct. 1.

The committee will start work on two studies approved by the Legislature this year: the House Joint Resolution 17 study of prescription drug prices and the HJR 24 study of services for adults with developmental disabilities. Also this interim, the committee will review the expansion of the state Medicaid program. The expansion will end in mid-2019 unless the next Legislature extends it.

During the morning portion of its meeting, the committee will hear about ideas that have been suggested for changing federal payments for Medicaid costs. Members also will look at how drug prices have affected state programs that pay for health care costs in recent years.

In the afternoon, the committee will take public comment on and review its objection to the Medicaid provider rate rules. Members also will hear about the community services that exist for developmentally disabled adults and how the state decides the amount it will pay for the services a person needs.

The meeting will begin at 8 a.m. in Room 137 of the Capitol.

A third study assigned to the committee, the HJR 20 study of transparency in health care pricing, will be carried out primarily by a subcommittee made up of legislators and public members. The subcommittee will meet at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 12 in Room 137. The meeting will focus on the factors that go into the pricing of health care services.

Both meetings will be live streamed at http://leg.mt.gov and will be broadcast on Television Montana (TVMT). Check local channel listings to find TVMT in your area.

For more information about the meeting, including a full agenda and related materials, visit the committee's website or contact Sue O'Connell, committee staff.

Committee Website: http://leg.mt.gov/cfhhs
Committee Staff: soconnell@mt.gov or (406) 444-3597