The Maine Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday warned that some payments to providers will be delayed if the Legislature doesn’t approve funding soon for MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program.
The MaineCare funding is wrapped up in the state’s supplemental budget, which passed the House along party lines last week but is now stalled in the Senate. The budget would fill a $118 million MaineCare deficit.
Absent that funding, the DHHS plans to make the following changes for the March 12 payment cycle and, “if necessary,” the March 19 cycle:
- Pay Critical Access Hospital prospective interim payments at 70 percent of normal levels.
- Hold payment for all hospital claims greater than $50,000
- Hold payment for large retail pharmacies and large durable medical equipment suppliers
- Hold payment for out-of-state providers of hospital, ambulance, pharmacy, and durable medical equipment services.
Other payments will be processed as they normally would, the department said.
The DHHS said it anticipates the March 26 cycle will also need to include a temporary hold on additional types of payments, which will be based on a first come, first served system.
