Medicaid Modernization.

The deadline for issuing the initial request for proposals for the Children and Families Specialty Plan was extended from December 1, 2024 to December 1, 2025, providing an additional year for the state to prepare and launch this program.

The bill now explicitly defines who qualifies for the Children and Families Specialty Plan, including children in foster care, recipients of adoption assistance, and former foster care youth until age 26, ensuring these vulnerable populations are covered under the new plan.

Removed committee substitute language and formatting markers from the original draft, converting the bill to its final ratified version for official enactment.

Added Senate Finance Committee Substitute Adopted date (6/10/25) to the header documentation.

Reordered the document structure to place the report requirement text before the version number, which appears to be a formatting adjustment rather than a policy change.

Updated version identifier from H546-v-3 to H546-v-4 in the header.

Bill title changed from 'Inmate Medicaid Suspension/Team-Based Care' to 'Medicaid Modernization' and bill number changed from Edition 2 to Edition 3.

Added Part II requiring the Department of Health and Human Services to negotiate with CMS regarding potential Medicaid work requirements and report on implementation details within 30 days of CMS approval.

Added Part IV modifying the Children and Families Specialty Plan procurement timeline, changing the RFP deadline from December 1, 2024 to December 1, 2025.

Added Part III allowing telehealth providers to enroll as Medicaid providers without maintaining a physical presence in North Carolina.

Added specific effective date provisions for new parts, with Part I effective when the act becomes law and Part II effective when the act becomes law.

Removed original Section 3 effective date provision and replaced with more specific effective date provisions for each new part.

Removed sponsor names and committee referral details from the header section, which are administrative details rather than substantive policy changes.

Reorganized Section 1 to remove the working group requirement and streamlined the reporting requirements to focus on cost, start date, and contract types.

Added specific reporting requirement about progress implementing automated data sharing between county jails and the NCFAST eligibility system.

Replaced Section 2's detailed implementation timeline with a broader mandate to continue implementing federal suspension requirements and report on ongoing challenges.

Removed Section 3's requirement for the Department of Adult Correction to enter into a memorandum of understanding and update internal policies, which was consolidated into the DHHS reporting requirement.

Added three new co-sponsors (Representatives Chesser, Reeder, and Rhyne) to the bill, expanding the coalition of legislators supporting the measure.

Updated bill identification numbers and version information from 'DRH40248-NL-23' to 'H546-v-1' to reflect the official bill number and first edition status.

Adjusted the date reference from 'Mar 26, 2025' to 'March 31, 2025' in the referral section, likely reflecting the actual filing date.

Removed the original filing date line and consolidated header information into a more standard legislative format.