NOTICE OF PROPOSED CHANGES ON MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY & COVERAGE FOR PREGNANCY & POSTPARTUM IN THE REGULATIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION The Department of Health proposes to change regulations on Medicaid eligibility and coverage for pregnancy and postpartum. |
The Department of Health proposes to adopt regulation changes in Title 7 of the Alaska Administrative Code, to implement the requirements of Senate Bill 58. ***
***Please Note: Details related to SB 58. Short Title: MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY: POSTPARTUM MOTHERS; Title: "An Act relating to Medicaid eligibility; expanding eligibility for postpartum mothers; conditioning the expansion of eligibility on approval by the United States Department of Health and Human Services; and providing for an effective date." (SB 58; 33rd Legislature). The SB 58 bill was signed into law. The related details may be accessed on the Alaska State Legislature’s website at https://www.akleg.gov/basis/Bill/Detail/33?Root=SB%2058#tab6_4 ; the PDF version of SB 58 may be accessed at https://www.akleg.gov/PDF/33/Bills/SB0058Z.PDF .***
The proposed changes are related to Medicaid eligibility and coverage for individuals who are pregnant or postpartum, including the following:
- 7 AAC 100. Medicaid Eligibility, is proposed to be amended as follows:
- Amend 7 AAC 100.032 to extend, through the 12-month postpartum period, the exemption from the application for unemployment insurance benefits requirement.
- Repeal 7 AAC 100.072(e) to allow for the approval of postpartum coverage when application for pregnancy Medicaid was applied for retroactively.
- Amend 7 AAC 100.304 to extend the Medicaid postpartum period to 12 months.
- Amend 7 AAC 100.304 to extend, through the 12-month postpartum period, the medical support assignment exemption.
- 7 AAC 105. Medicaid Provider and Recipient Participation, is proposed to be amended as follows:
- Amend 7 AAC 105.610 to extend, through the 12-month postpartum period, the cost-sharing exemption.
- 7 AAC 110. Medicaid Coverage; Professional Services, is proposed to be amended as follows:
- Amend 7 AAC 110.180 to
- refer to the authority established under 12 AAC 14, identifying the period of time during which a direct-entry midwife can provide postpartum services;
- limit services for which a direct-entry midwife can be paid to only those that are included in the department’s Fee Schedule for Direct-Entry Midwife Services, adopted by reference.
- 7 AAC 160. Medicaid Program; General Provisions, is proposed to be amended as follows:
- Repeal and readopt 7 AAC 160.900(e)(3) to include the department’s new Fee Schedule for Direct-Entry Midwife Services, to be adopted by reference.
You may comment on the proposed regulation changes, including the potential costs to private persons of complying with the proposed changes, by submitting written comments to Ms. Susan Miller Dunkin by electronic mail at susan.dunkin@alaska.gov or mail at the Department of Health, Division of Health Care Services, 4601 Business Park Blvd., Bldg. K, Attention: Susan Miller Dunkin, Anchorage, AK 99503. The comments must be received not later than 5 p.m. on November 27, 2023.
You may provide oral comments relevant to the proposed action via telephone at the hearing to be held on November 21, 2023, via Zoom. You may join the online Zoom meeting at
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82284525550?pwd=SzlGNXB0THd6QTlUamFyZ1Q2dlYyUT09 ,
or by calling the telephone number 1-(833)-928-4610 (toll free), using the meeting ID 822 8452 5550, and passcode 608731. There will not be in-person attendance provided at the hearing site, so please prepare to share your oral comments by telephone only. The hearing is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.,
and priority will be given to commenters on the line before the beginning of the hearing. The hearing may be extended to accommodate those on the line before 10:30 a.m., who did not have an opportunity to comment. Before the start of the hearing, Department of Health may limit the time allotted for each person providing oral testimony, as reasonably necessary to conclude the hearing in the time provided.
You may submit written questions relevant to the proposed action to Ms. Susan Miller Dunkin by electronic mail at susan.dunkin@alaska.gov or mail at the Department of Health, Division of Health Care Services, 4601 Business Park Blvd., Bldg. K, Attention: Susan Miller Dunkin, Anchorage, AK 99503. The questions must be received at least 10 days before the end of the public comment period. The Department of Health will aggregate its response to substantially similar questions and make the questions and responses available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System.
If you are a person with a disability who needs a special accommodation to participate in this process, please contact Ms. Susan Miller Dunkin at susan.dunkin@alaska.gov or at (907) 310-2769
not later than November 13, 2023, to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.
A copy of the proposed regulation changes is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System and by contacting Ms. Susan Miller Dunkin at susan.dunkin@alaska.gov or by telephone at (907) 310-2769.
A copy of material proposed for adoption by reference is available on the Alaska Online Public Notice System.
After the public comment period ends, the Department of Health will either adopt the proposed regulation changes or other provisions dealing with the same subject, without further notice, or decide to take no action. The language of the final regulation may be different from that of the proposed regulation. You should comment during the time allowed if your interests could be affected.
Statutory authority: AS 47.05.010; AS 47.05.012; AS 47.07.020; AS 47.07.030; AS 47.07.040; AS 47.07.042; AS 47.07.085.
Statutes being implemented, interpreted, or made specific: AS 47.05.010; AS 47.05.012; AS 47.07.020; AS 47.07.030; AS 47.07.040; AS 47.07.042; AS 47.07.085.
Fiscal information (in thousands of dollars): The proposed regulation changes are not expected to require an increased appropriation.
The Department of Health, Division of Health Care Services, keeps a list of individuals and organizations interested in its regulations. Those on the list will automatically be sent a copy of all the Department of Health, Division of Health Care Services, notices of proposed regulation changes. To be added to or removed from the list, send a request to the Department of Health, Division of Health Care Services at susan.dunkin@alaska.gov , giving your name, and either your e-mail address or mailing address, as you prefer for receiving notices.
Individuals can also signup to receive automated notifications of all State of Alaska notices, including public notice for regulation changes, by subscribing to the Alaska Online Public Notices System: https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Default.aspx.
DATE: October 13, 2023.
/s/Heidi Hedberg
Commissioner,
Department of Health
State of Alaska.