State lawmakers are weighing in on proposed changes to how some Arkansas Medicaid recipients qualify for in-home personal care. The proposal would shift responsibility for determining eligibility to physicians rather than a third-party contractor currently used.
Officials with the Department of Human Services outlined the rule change in a legislative committee meeting on Wednesday.
Melissa Weatherton, director of specialty Medicaid services for DHS, says spending on the program has risen consistently year over year.
“We’re spending over $212 million annually on this service for about 17,000 people. We believe that putting the new process in place, with very strict evaluation forms and prescription forms for physicians and PCP offices, will significantly assist us in ensuring that the people who need personal care are the ones getting personal care.”
Republican state Sen. Missy Irvin spoke against the proposal, saying physicians shouldn’t be the ones making the decision on whether someone truly needs personal care.
“They have to have a client base. They have to have patients return to them, and if they refuse that, guess what? They’re going to go right down the road to somebody else. I’m just laying the land of how it works in reality. I think it’s a good idea in theory. I just don’t know if it’s going to work.”
DHS officials agreed to pull the change down and rework it after lawmakers raised concerns.
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