Officials gave updates on provisions affecting medicaid, disaster state plan amendments, qualified service providers and temporary enrollment changes, executive orders, and gave additional information as to where people can get the information for more COVID-19 related needs.
“We’ve done several of these Friday webinars to give the public updates on where we are with the COVID response,” Caprice Knapp, the director of Medicaid, said.
Provisions that are affecting Medicaid, as stated by Erik Elkins, were emergency increases in unemployment compensation benefits, meaning $600 weekly pandemic unemployment compensation will be disregarded in the determination of eligibility for medicative chips.
Improving care planning for Medicare Home Health Services, allowing nurse practitioners and other professionals to order health services, helping increase beneficiary access for members.
Providing home and community-based services in acute care hospitals, allowing state Medicaid to pay for direct support professionals and caregivers to help with activities in daily living and to assist individuals who are on 19-15 C waivers.
Clarification regarding coverage of COVID-19 testing products, removing the FDA requirement for approval of a test before the coverage of COVID-19 diagnostic test products would be covered.
Lastly, delaying the requirements for enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentages, in which North Dakota will receive an enhanced match, during the emergency period, if followed by specific provisions such as not influencing higher premiums.
Within the meeting, Jessica Thomasson added information about recent information about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
“As of April 23, there was a new federal determination that the SNAP program still will not count the recovery check ($1,200 federal check) but it will require households to count the $600 per week unemployment insurance boost as income,” Thomasson said. “That’s not the case with every economic assistance program, but it is the case with SNAP at this point.”
The Medicaid program also was approved for a disaster state plan amendment, which was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services which was put into immediate effect, starting on March 1, 2020.
Some of the contents that were included within the amendment that were approved by the CMS include Modification to the 34-day supply limit for medications, ND Medicaid may allow a one-time 90-day fill to decrease the need for office visits for ND Medicaid members and waiving the 15-day limit for payment for bed hold for a resident of a nursing facility or intermediate care facility if the stay is due to a diagnosis of COVID-19.
The Medicaid administration has also asked to suspend premiums for individuals eligible under the Workers with Disabilities or Children with Disabilities groups.
“In our qualified provider program, just like in our regular provider program, we want to make that process as streamlined as possible,” Knapp said. “Here, we needed a disaster SPA and we needed executive orders to do this, and so we have both now.”
Knapp mentioned temporary modifications were made for the Qualified Service Providers (QSP). As stated within the presentation, “Ant information that is not required at this time, will be required within six months of the end of the national emergency. Knapp also mentioned the QSP are already beginning to get applications for the temporary benefits.
Some of the QSP that are eligible for the temporary enrollment process includes: chore, companionship, family home care, family personal care, homemake, personal care, and supervision.
For information on these forms, go to http://www.nd.gov/dhs/info/covid-19/program-policy.html
As for Executive Orders, Knapp reiterated that since March 18 and until the National Emergency ends, “as of March 18th we cannot disenroll anyone from Medicaid unless they die, unless they move out of state, or unless they ask to be removed … we are not redetermining Medicaid eligibility.”
For more information go to: www.nd.gov/dhs/info/covid-19/program-policy.html.