URGENT ACTION NEEDED:
HOUSE TO DEBATE BUDGET BILLS TOMORROW —
CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY!
The Missouri House of Representatives will debate the state budget bills on Tuesday, March 30. MHA urges your organization to contact its state representative(s) to voice support for a Medicaid budget amendment to increase the payment rate of a proposed Medicaid outpatient fee schedule. Identify your lawmaker and quickly connect with them by filling out your contact information on MHA's advocacy website, Missouri Health Matters.
MHA’s talking points describe the pending Medicaid outpatient fee schedule. It would pay hospitals 90% of the Medicare outpatient payment rate, with some targeted adjustments. The proposal would cut Missouri hospital payments by at least $60 million. MHA supports the premise of a less complex fee schedule system, but it should not be used as a pretext for deep Medicaid payment cuts.
The budget amendment raises the payment rate for all hospitals. It does so without requiring new general revenue spending by identifying unrecognized savings and reinvesting them.
The House debate on Tuesday will be the last opportunity to revise the budget before it moves to the Missouri Senate. Use the form on the Missouri Health Matters website to send an email to your representative.
There's no time to waste.
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