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MEDICARE PART D COVERAGE EXTENDED TO APRIL 30, 2006!
NYS DOH officials announced that
emergency Medicaid for Part D dual eligible beneficiaries who are
unable to access their Medicare Part D coverage WILL BE EXTENDED
UNTIL AT LEAST APRIL 30, 2006 (was to expire today). Pharmacists
must continue to use the verification process described in the
March 2006 DOH Medicaid update. This process verifies to NYS
Medicaid that the pharmacy was qualified to bill Part D, and that
the CMS procedures created to help beneficiaries access their Part
D coverage were tried first, but failed.
NYS BUDGET POISED TO PASS ON
TIME
The NYS Senate & Assembly are busy
passing the final parts of the 2006-07 NYS Budget to be delivered
to the Governor by midnight. They used an estimated $2 – $4.5
billion surplus to plug holes left by the Governor’s Executive
Budget, add member item grants and various additions such as tax
cuts and enhancements. The Governor and DOB disagree with the
math the Legislature has used, but it is uncertain whether he will
use his veto authority. The Mental Hygiene Budget Conference
Committee had a mere $20 million to add their budgets, of which
only $1.65 million went to OMRDD and all for member item grants.
However, as previously reported, they did extend the Medicaid
wraparound through April 13, 2007, and maintained all the good
news issued in the Governor’s original Executive Budget in
January. The Legislature will require hospitals to give discounts
to poor and some middle-income patients who have no health
insurance. Hospitals now charge more to treat uninsured patients
than people who have coverage, and have not told low-income
patients when financial aid is available. No agreement has been
reached on the new Medicaid Inspector General and its related
duties, with the Governor pushing for a five-year appointment,
clearly not popular with Democrats who are confident of a
Democratic Governor next year. See Budget Bills for more
info:
Health and
Mental Hygiene Budget Bill (S 6454-C/A 9554-C)
Education,
Labor and Family Assistance Budget Bill (S 6453-C/A 9553-C)
Public
Protection and General Government Budget Bill (S 6450-C/A 9550-C)
Transportation, Economic Development and Environmental
Conservation Budget Bill (S 6455-C/A 9555-C)
See Article
VII Health Mental Hygiene Budget Language Bill
See
Mental Hygiene Budget Conference Committee Report here.
NYSACRA will have a detailed
analysis for you next week once all the bills have been passed.
FEDERAL BUDGET RESOLUTION NEARS
COMPLETION
The
U.S. Senate adopted a budget
resolution without entitlement cuts, and added more than $16
billion in discretionary spending flexibility above the $873
billion cap sought by the White House. The
House Budget Committee
today started work on their fiscal
2007
budget resolution that embraces President Bush’s proposed $873
billion discretionary spending limit and seeks $6.8 billion
savings over five years from mandatory spending. Republican
moderates say they will fight reductions in those programs, and
certain NY Congressmen have signed onto amendments seeking to add
spending and they oppose any cuts to Medicaid. At this time,
there are no cuts to Medicaid in this budget resolution.
DOB CAPITAL THRESHOLD UPDATE
In an agreement reached in 2005,
annual indexing of Capital review Thresholds was to take place.
Effective April 1, 2006 residential acquisition thresholds have
been increased by 14%, reflecting single family housing price
inflation for calendar year 2004. Other cost thresholds were
adjusted to reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index for 2005,
or construction cost increases, as applicable. Approvals should
be expedited. Providers should contact their DDSO or NYC Regional
office for more information. |
