Medicaid

SB 2695 exempts Medicare-certified long-term acute care hospitals in Mississippi from a state hospital assessment used to fund Medicaid, subject to approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This bill directly affects long-term acute care hospitals that meet Medicare certification requirements. The exemption would remove these facilities from paying the annual assessment calculated based on non-Medicare hospital inpatient days. The change requires CMS approval before taking effect, as specified in the bill's language.

SB 2567 requires Mississippi's Medicaid program to pay an out-of-state pediatric teaching hospital (located in a city bordering the Mississippi River and meeting specific criteria) if federal Medicare/Medicaid authorities approve increased funding for such hospitals. The bill ensures that costs for treating Mississippi Medicaid children under 21 at this hospital do not exceed costs for similar care in Mississippi hospitals, and prevents in-state hospitals from receiving lower payments due to these out-of-state payments. It takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies only to hospitals meeting strict requirements like maintaining pediatric specialty programs and dedicated beds for patients under 21.

This is a procedural bill that reorganizes existing Medicaid eligibility verification code sections (43-12-1 through 43-12-47) in Mississippi's law, moving them to new positions without changing the policies. It does not create new requirements but prepares the code for potential future amendments. The affected sections cover real-time income/asset verification, system integration between Medicaid and human services, and third-party vendor contracts for fraud prevention. The bill directly affects the Division of Medicaid and its eligibility verification processes.

SB 2735 updates Mississippi's Medicaid program with several key changes affecting beneficiaries and providers. It extends eligibility for foster care children until age 26, adds eligibility for men of reproductive age under family planning, and explicitly bans Medicaid coverage for gender transition procedures. The bill establishes new reimbursement rates (100% for pediatricians, 85% for ambulatory surgical centers), allows rural hospitals to opt out of certain payment systems, and creates new payment rules for nursing facilities. These changes directly impact Medicaid recipients, healthcare providers, hospitals, and behavioral health centers across Mississippi.

HB 1325 removes a restriction preventing a specific psychiatric residential treatment facility in DeSoto County from participating in Mississippi's Medicaid program. The bill amends state law to delete a prohibition that blocked the facility - established under a hospital's Certificate of Need approval - from receiving Medicaid payments for its services. This change would directly allow the facility to bill Medicaid for care provided to eligible patients, without altering Medicaid eligibility or funding levels. The bill died in committee and did not become law.