Bill > SB140

This bill requires the Health Care Authority to establish a minimum Medicaid fee schedule for personal care services, which are services that help individuals with daily living activities. Specifically, it sets reimbursement rates at $23.50 per hour for consumer-delegated personal care services, where a Medicaid recipient chooses an agency to provide all services, and $19.78 per hour for consumer-directed personal care services, where the recipient has control over service decisions and the agency acts as a financial manager. A key provision mandates that personal care services provider agencies must use at least seventy percent of their Medicaid reimbursement to cover direct care workforce expenditures, which includes wages, employee-related expenses like payroll taxes and insurance, and training and supervision costs for the workers who directly provide care. This requirement aims to ensure that a significant portion of the funding goes to the direct care workforce. The bill also appropriates over $51 million from the general fund to the Health Care Authority to implement these changes, including updating the fee schedule and increasing reimbursements for personal care services.

https://www.nmlegis.gov/Legislation/Legislation?chamber=S&legtype=B&legno=140&year=26