Policymakers call for FSSA to pause proposed Medicaid cuts after budget shortfall

The lieutenant governor and several lawmakers have called for the Family and Social Services Administration to “pause” proposed cuts. The proposed cuts would affect caregivers providing attendant care as “legally responsible individuals.”

During the COVID-19 public health emergency, FSSA allowed legally responsible individuals — usually parents of children with disabilities — to provide care typically provided by home health aides due to workforce shortages. It recently announced this would no longer be allowed following a $1 billion shortfall in the Medicaid budget.

FSSA says it will work with families using this kind of care to transition to other avenues of care before the change goes into effect July 1.

Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch, the leader of the state’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Task Force, said FSSA should pause the implementation of the changes.

“I've heard we're trying to get information,” Crouch said. “I've heard we're going to adjust. I've heard no data. I've heard we're working on it. At this point in time until these questions can be answered, I would call upon FSSA to pause.”
 

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Rep. Ed Clere (R-New Albany), another member of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Task Force, said he is concerned about the lack of transparency from FSSA around the data used to make these decisions.

“I find it hard to believe that FSSA didn't have the data I've requested prior to announcing the so-called sustainability measure,” Clere said. “So I'm disappointed that it hasn't been provided to me and it's not being provided to other members of the task force or members of the public.”

Three sitting lawmakers agreed with Crouch’s call to pause and asked for more transparency from FSSA on how these decisions were made and how access to services might be affected.

FSSA also proposed other changes to address the shortfall, including ending retroactive coverage while Medicaid eligibility is pending and pausing the rate indexing across Medicaid services.
 

Abigail is our health reporter. Contact them at aruhman@wboi.org.