02-28 20:02 1st Sub. (Green) S.B. 246 Doug Fiefia proposes the following substitute bill: 1 Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Modifications 2025 GENERAL SESSION STATE OF UTAH Chief Sponsor: Todd Weiler House Sponsor: Doug Fiefia 2 3 LONG TITLE 4 General Description: 5 This bill addresses Medicaid reimbursement rates. 6 Highlighted Provisions: 7 This bill: 8 ▸ extends by a number of fiscal years a budgeting mechanism under which Medicaid 9 reimbursement rates for applied behavior analysis may increase. 10 Money Appropriated in this Bill: 11 None 12 Other Special Clauses: 13 None 14 Utah Code Sections Affected: 15 AMENDS: 16 26B-3-203, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2024, Chapters 264, 284 17 18 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah: 19 Section 1. Section 26B-3-203 is amended to read: 20 26B-3-203 . Base budget appropriations for Medicaid accountable care 21 organizations, behavioral health plans, and ABA services -- Forecast of behavioral health 22 services cost, behavioral health plans, and ABA services -- Forecast of behavioral health 23 services cost. 24 (1) As used in this section: 25 (a) "ABA service" means a service applying applied behavior analysis, as that term is 26 defined in Section 31A-22-642. 27 (b) "ABA service reimbursement rate" means the Medicaid reimbursement rate 28 developed by the division, in accordance with Part 1, Health Care Assistance, and 29 paid to a provider for providing an ABA service. 1st Sub. S.B. 246 1st Sub. (Green) S.B. 246 02-28 20:02 30 (c) "ACO" means a Medicaid accountable care organization that contracts with the 31 state's Medicaid program for: 32 (i) physical health services; or 33 (ii) integrated physical and behavioral health services. 34 (d) "Base budget" means the same as that term is defined in legislative rule. 35 (e) "Behavioral health plan" means a managed care or fee-for-service delivery system 36 that contracts with or is operated by the department to provide behavioral health 37 services to Medicaid eligible individuals. 38 (f) "Behavioral health services" means mental health or substance use treatment or 39 services. 40 (g) "General Fund growth factor" means the amount determined by dividing the next 41 fiscal year ongoing General Fund revenue estimate by current fiscal year ongoing 42 appropriations from the General Fund. 43 (h) "Next fiscal year ongoing General Fund revenue estimate" means the next fiscal year 44 ongoing General Fund revenue estimate identified by the Executive Appropriations 45 Committee, in accordance with legislative rule, for use by the Office of the 46 Legislative Fiscal Analyst in preparing budget recommendations. 47 (i) "Member" means an enrollee. 48 (j) "PMPM" means per-member-per-month funding. 49 (2) If the General Fund growth factor is less than 100%, the next fiscal year base budget 50 shall, subject to Subsection (5), include an appropriation to the department in an amount 51 necessary to ensure that the next fiscal year PMPM for ACOs and behavioral health 52 plans equals the current fiscal year PMPM for the ACOs and behavioral health plans 53 multiplied by 100%. 54 (3) If the General Fund growth factor is greater than or equal to 100%, but less than 102%, 55 the next fiscal year base budget shall, subject to Subsection (5), include an appropriation 56 to the department in an amount necessary to ensure that the next fiscal year PMPM for 57 ACOs and behavioral health plans equals the current fiscal year PMPM for the ACOs 58 and behavioral health plans multiplied by the General Fund growth factor. 59 (4) If the General Fund growth factor is greater than or equal to 102% for a fiscal year, the 60 next fiscal year base budget shall, subject to Subsection (5): 61 (a) [in fiscal years 2025 and ] for the 2026 and 2027 base budget: 62 (i) include an appropriation to the department in an amount that would, prior to the 63 application of Subsection (4)(a)(ii), allow the department to ensure that the next - 2 - 02-28 20:02 1st Sub. (Green) S.B. 246 64 fiscal year PMPMs for ACOs and behavioral health plans is greater than or equal 65 to the current fiscal year PMPMs for the ACOs and behavioral health plans 66 multiplied by 102%; and 67 (ii) [subject to Subsection (4)(a)(iii), ]allocate the amount appropriated under 68 Subsection (4)(a)(i) to provide substantially the same year-over-year percentage 69 point increase to: 70 (A) the PMPMs for ACOs and behavioral health plans; and 71 (B) each ABA service reimbursement rate; and 72 (iii) [for the initial appropriation under Subsection (4)(a)(i), prior to providing the 73 percentage point increases under Subsection (4)(a)(ii), allocate from the total 74 amount appropriated under Subsection (4)(a)(i) an amount necessary to increase 75 and substantially equalize each of the ABA service reimbursement rates with a 76 corresponding reimbursement rate paid for providing the same or substantially 77 similar service under an ACO or a behavioral health plan; and] 78 (b) beginning in fiscal year 2027 for the 2028 base budget, include an appropriation to 79 the department in an amount necessary to ensure that the next fiscal year PMPMs for 80 ACOs and behavioral health plans is greater than or equal to the current fiscal year 81 PMPMs for the ACOs and the behavioral health plans multiplied by 102%, and less 82 than or equal to the current fiscal year PMPMs for the ACOs and the behavioral 83 health plans multiplied by the General Fund growth factor. 84 (5) The appropriations provided to the department for behavioral health plans under this 85 section shall be reduced by the amount contributed by counties in the current fiscal year 86 for behavioral health plans in accordance with Subsections 17-43-201(5)(k) and 87 17-43-301(6)(a)(x). 88 (6) In order for the department to estimate the impact of Subsections (2) through (4) before 89 identification of the next fiscal year ongoing General Fund revenue estimate, the 90 Governor's Office of Planning and Budget shall, in cooperation with the Office of the 91 Legislative Fiscal Analyst, develop an estimate of ongoing General Fund revenue for the 92 next fiscal year and provide the estimate to the department no later than November 1 of 93 each year. 94 (7) The Office of the Legislative Fiscal Analyst shall include an estimate of the cost of 95 behavioral health services in any state Medicaid funding or savings forecast that is 96 completed in coordination with the department and the Governor's Office of Planning 97 and Budget. - 3 - 1st Sub. (Green) S.B. 246 02-28 20:02 98 Section 2. Effective Date. 99 This bill takes effect on May 7, 2025. - 4 -