This week, our In Focus section describes New York State’s Medicaid Section 1115 waiver amendment authorizing at least $6.7 billion in funding for new programs and initiatives in the state’s Medicaid program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved New York’s application for the amendment January 9, 2024, which is effective retrospectively to April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2027.
New programs and initiatives are intended to improve access to services for Medicaid enrollees and include:
- Regional social care networks (SCNs) responsible for screening, referring, and providing new health-related social needs (HRSN) services to eligible Medicaid beneficiaries
- A statewide health equity regional organization (HERO), which will provide data analysis, regional needs planning, stakeholder engagement, value-based payment recommendations; and program analyses
- Workforce initiatives, including student loan repayment (SLR) and career pathways training (CPT) to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in high-need fields
- A Medicaid hospital global budget initiative (MHGBI) to provide funding to safety-net hospitals with negative operating margins to support their participation in waiver-related services
- An institution for mental diseases (IMD) waiver for substance use disorder (SUD) services
- A commitment from the states to sustain and enhance Medicaid provider payment rates to ensure access to services
Funding
CMS authorized at least $6.7 billion in funding. Some waiver components are without specific monetary valuation (i.e., IMD waiver, payment rate increases).
| DY 25 (ends 3/31/24) | DY 26 (ends 3/31/25) | DY 27 (ends 3/31/26) | DY 28 (ends 3/31/27) | Total | |
| HRSN Infrastructure | $0 | $260,000,000 | $190,000,000 | $50,000,000 | $500,000,000 |
| HRSN Services | $3,173,000,000 | ||||
| HERO | $50,000,000 | $40,000,000 | $35,000,000 | $125,000,000 | |
| Workforce: Student Loan Repayment | $12,080,000 | $24,150,000 | $12,080,000 | $48,310,000 | |
| Workforce: Career Pathways Training | $175,770,000 | $310,480,000 | $159,500,000 | $645,750,000 | |
| Medicaid Hospital Global Budget Initiative | $550,000,000 | $550,000,000 | $550,000,000 | $550,000,000 | $2,200,000,000 |
| $6,692,060,000 |
HRSN
- NY will implement 13 SCNs in nine regions, which are expected to establish networks of community-based organizations (CBOs) that provide HRSN services.
- Contracted SCNs, which will be awarded pursuant to a recently published request for applications, will receive infrastructure funding to invest in technology, business and/or operational practices, workforce development, and outreach and stakeholder engagement.
- SCNs will be reimbursed according to a state-published fee schedule for delivering HRSN services on a fee-for-service basis.
- SCNs are responsible for screening for HRSN and determining Medicaid beneficiaries’ eligibility level for enhanced HRSN services, spanning case management, nutrition supports, housing supports, and transportation.
HERO
- NY will contract with a single statewide Health Equity Regional Organization (HERO), which is independent of state or other government entities.
- The HERO will be responsible for five activities:
- Collect, aggregate, analyze, and report data
- Conduct regional needs assessments and planning
- Convene regional stakeholders
- Make recommendations to support advanced VBP arrangements and develop options for incorporating HRSN into VBP methodologies
- Conduct program analyses
Workforce
- The waiver approval identifies two pathways for workforce investment:
- SLR program for people who will serve in certain healthcare workforce shortage professions
- CPT program to support recruitment and advancement in healthcare careers
Medicaid Hospital Global Budget Initiative
- The MHGBI will be available to certain safety-net hospitals that meet governance, solvency, and geographic requirements.
- The MHGBI provides incentive payments to these hospitals if they:
- Collect and report data
- Meet milestones for transitioning to alternative payment models
- Demonstrate improvement in healthcare quality and equity
- As a condition of MHGBI, New York will apply for participation in the CMS Innovation Center’s AHEAD model.
IMD Waiver for SUD
- CMS approved an IMD waiver for SUD services. As a result, NY will be eligible to receive federal financial participation for Medicaid members who are short-term residents in IMDs for services that would not otherwise be matchable
- The state anticipates 50 providers will enroll within the first year
Curious About What the Waiver Means for Your Organization?
HMA’s New York Team can assist organizations assessing opportunities and understanding implications tied to these new, significant waiver investments. They have been working with key stakeholders to help inform the design of foundational components of the new wavier initiatives. HMA’s team of experts anticipate that the terms and conditions agreed to in the New York amendment provide important policy insight and direction for other states pursuing similar initiatives. Please contact Cara Henley and Josh Rubin with questions or if you are seeking more detailed analysis of the state’s waiver amendment.
