SB 2898 Mississippi Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Nonemergency transportation program; require PEER Committee to evaluate performance of two years after each new contract implementation.

SB 2898 requires Mississippi's PEER Committee to evaluate the performance of the state's Medicaid nonemergency transportation program two years after each new contract is implemented. This evaluation would assess how effectively the program provides reliable transportation for Medicaid beneficiaries to medical appointments, focusing on cost, service quality, and outcomes. The bill does not change the program's existing services or operations but adds a mandatory accountability measure to ensure ongoing effectiveness. The requirement applies specifically to each new contract for nonemergency transportation services under Medicaid.
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Feb 2025
House Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 6, 2025 Last action Mar 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced Current version · 10 edits
MAJOR
This bill updates Mississippi's Medicaid law to modernize reimbursement methods, expand covered services, and strengthen oversight. Key changes include implementing new payment models for hospitals and outpatient services, adding coverage for services like smoking cessation medications and pediatric extended care, and establishing clearer rules for managed care organizations. The bill also sets specific deadlines for performance evaluations of transportation programs and creates new protections for certain patient populations.
Scope change
The bill expands Medicaid coverage to include additional services and providers, modifies how certain services are reimbursed, and adds new requirements for managed care organizations and the Division of Medicaid.
REQUIREMENT

Requires the PEER Committee to conduct performance evaluations of the nonemergency transportation program every two years after each new contract implementation date, with the first evaluation due by January 1, 2019.

Establishes a Mississippi Hospital Access Program (MHAP) to replace the Medicare Upper Payment Limits Program, with implementation required by December 1, 2015.

Creates new requirements for managed care organizations including uniform provider credentialing processes, standardized denial appeals, and reporting on administrative expenses and employee numbers.

Requires managed care organizations to implement preferred drug lists more stringent than the state's mandatory list and prohibits denial of hemophilia patients access to federally funded treatment centers.

Establishes new protections for patients with terminal conditions, ensuring Medicaid benefits do not restrict coverage for medically appropriate treatment.

Creates a James Russell Dumas Medicaid Dental Services Incentive Program to increase reimbursement rates for dental services and track dentist participation in Medicaid.

Requires the Division of Medicaid to provide information to Medicaid providers about prescription drug costs and alternatives, while keeping this information confidential.

FISCAL

Updates reimbursement methodologies including APR-DRG for inpatient hospital services and APC for outpatient services, with special provisions for rural hospitals with 50 or fewer beds.

ELIGIBILITY

Adds new covered services including smoking cessation medications for pregnant women, pediatric extended care centers for medically dependent children, and enhanced dental services reimbursement increases for 2022-2025.

TIMELINE

Sets various implementation dates including July 1, 2025 for the act's effectiveness, July 1, 2024 for repeal of border city pediatric hospital provisions, and July 1, 2028 for repeal of the entire section.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 5, 2025

How they voted

510
Passed
Total votes 51
Feb 5, 2025
D Democratic16
16 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican35
35 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
6
Key actions
2
Committee
3
Feb 10, 2025
Committee
Referred To Medicaid
lower
Feb 6, 2025
Introduced
Transmitted To House
upper
Feb 5, 2025
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Feb 4, 2025
Upper · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass
upper
Jan 20, 2025
Committee
Referred To Medicaid
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
Photo of Chuck Younger
Chuck Younger
RRepublican
MS
17