CMS issues sanction warning to Missouri re: Home health care restrictions in Medicaid

From the Center for Medicare Advocacy:

Thestate of Missouri requires Medicaid beneficiaries to be “confined to thehome” in order to receive home health services provided under its Medicaidprogram. While this so-called “homebound” rule has been requiredby statute for home health services in Medicare since the beginning ofthe program, the Medicaid statute has never had such arequirement. In fact, the absence of a “homebound” requirementin Medicaid has been an important feature of that program for thosedually-eligible for Medicare and Medicaid who may be denied home healthservices under Medicare for failure to meet the homebound standard.

The Centersfor Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has informed the Director ofMissouri’s Department of Social Services that the state is out of compliancewith Medicaid law and that it will be sanctioned by the withholding of aportion of the federal share of payments until it comes into compliance.

This Alertfocuses on the homebound issue, on CMS’s legal rationale for sanctioningMissouri and on the important role of the advocacy community in bringingpressure to bear on Missouri to change its policy and on CMS to press the stateto act.

Read the rest of this CMA alert:  http://medicareadvocacy.org/InfoByTopic/MedicaidAndRelatedTopics/MedicaidandRT_10_03.11.MedicaidAndHomeHealth.htm