NCART to Medicaid programs: ‘No cuts to CRT’

YARMOUTH, Maine – NCART has posted a “No Cuts to CRT Toolkit” to its website that stakeholders can use when discussing budgets with state government officials and legislators.

The toolkit includes a position paper that details the importance of excluding complex rehab from cuts, infographics highlighting state data on complex rehab, information on the “service-intensive nature” of complex rehab and other supporting information, says Mickae Lee, associate director of NCART.

“One of our priorities in the first quarter is to actively monitor the development of state budgets,” she said during a recent webcast. “We’re also taking the time to attend public hearings, to request the most updated Medicaid utilization and spend data available for states, and to review notices sent to providers.”

At the time of the webcast in February, the National Association of State Budget Officers reported 44 states had proposed new or revised budgets for fiscal year 2022, which begins for most states on July 1; and NCART had identified “a small number of states who are considering cuts,” though the organization is still trying to determine the full impact of those cuts on complex rehab, Lee says.

Because of the revenue shortfalls in state budgets due to the COVID-19 pandemic and because Medicaid services tend to be costly, many states have instructed Medicaid officials to identify any possible cost-saving measures to help balance their budgets, Lee says.

“We know that could result in provider rate cuts in the Medicaid programs,” she said.

NCART encourages stakeholders not only to use the toolkit in their discussions with state government officials and legislators but also to report any cuts to complex rehab to the organization, Lee says.

“We want to keep our fingers on the pulse of potential cuts that could impact CRT,” she said.