The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a non-partisan legislative branch agency that provides policy and data analysis and makes recommendations to Congress, yesterday issued its 2023 annual report. The report includes a recommendation in regard to the adequacy of Medicaid nursing facility rates. Specifically:
To improve transparency of Medicaid spending, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) should direct the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to collect and report the following
- Facility-level data on all types of Medicaid payments to nursing facilities, including resident contributions to their cost of care;
- Data on the sources of non-federal share of spending necessary to determine net Medicaid payment at the facility level; and
- Comprehensive data on nursing facility finances and ownership necessary to compare Medicaid payments to the costs of care for Medicaid-covered residents and to examine the effects of real estate ownership models and related-party transactions.
MACPAC’s intent is to examine the extent to which Medicaid nursing facility payment policies are consistent with the statutory goals of efficiency, economy, quality, and access.