HB3986 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB102 17188 KTG 22640 b

102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB3986

Introduced 3/4/2021, by Rep. Lamont J. Robinson, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act
30 ILCS 105/5.935 new

Creates the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Act. Requires the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to establish a Medicaid Technical Assistance Center (Center). Provides that the Center shall operate as a cross-system educational resource to strengthen the business infrastructure of health care provider organizations in Illinois to ultimately increase the capacity, access, and quality of Illinois' Medicaid managed care program, HealthChoice Illinois. Requires the Center to be established within the Department's Office of Medicaid Innovation. Requires the Center to collaborate with public and private partners throughout the State to identify, establish, and maintain best practices necessary for health providers to ensure their capacity to participate in HealthChoice Illinois. Requires the Center to: (i) create and administer ongoing trainings for health care providers; (ii) maintain an independent, easy to navigate, and up-to-date website that includes, but is not limited to, recorded training archives, a training calendar, and provider resources and tools; and (iii) host regional learning collaboratives that will supplement the Center's training curriculum to bring together groups of stakeholders to share issues, best practices, and escalate issues. Provides that the Department, to the extent allowable under federal law, shall maximize federal financial participation for any moneys appropriated to the Department for the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. Provides that any federal financial participation funds obtained shall be used for the further development and expansion of the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. Amends the State Finance Act. Creates the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund. Effective immediately.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning public aid.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Medicaid Technical Assistance Act.

Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Behavioral health providers" means mental health and substance use disorder providers.

"Department" means the Department of Healthcare and Family Services.

"Health care providers" means organizations who provide physical, mental, substance use disorder, or social determinant of health services.

"Network adequacy" means a Medicaid beneficiary's ability to access all necessary provider types within time and distance standards as defined in the Managed Care Organization model contract.

"Service deserts" means geographic areas of the State with no or limited Medicaid providers that accept Medicaid.

"Social determinants of health" means any conditions that impact an individual's health, including, but not limited to, access to healthy food, safety, education, and housing stability.

"Stakeholders" means, but are not limited to, health care providers, advocacy organizations, managed care organizations, Medicaid beneficiaries, and State and city partners.

Section 10. Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services shall establish a Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall operate as a cross-system educational resource to strengthen the business infrastructure of health care provider organizations in Illinois to ultimately increase the capacity, access, and quality of Illinois' Medicaid managed care program, HealthChoice Illinois. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall be established within the Department's Office of Medicaid Innovation.

Section 15. Collaboration. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall collaborate with public and private partners throughout the State to identify, establish, and maintain best practices necessary for health providers to ensure their capacity to participate in HealthChoice Illinois. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall administer the following:

(1) Trainings: The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall create and administer ongoing trainings for health care providers. Trainings may be subcontracted. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall provide in-person and web-based trainings. In-person training shall be conducted throughout the State. All trainings must be free of charge. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall administer post-training surveys and incorporate feedback. Training content and delivery must be reflective of Illinois providers' varying levels of readiness, resources, and client populations.

(2) Web-based resources: The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall maintain an independent, easy to navigate, and up-to-date website that includes, but is not limited to: recorded training archives, a training calendar, provider resources and tools, up-to-date explanations of Department and managed care organization guidance, a running database of frequently asked questions and contact information for key staff members of the Department, managed care organizations, and the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center.

(3) Learning collaboratives: The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall host regional learning collaboratives that will supplement the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center training curriculum to bring together groups of stakeholders to share issues, best practices, and escalate issues. Leadership of the Department and managed care organizations shall attend learning collaboratives on a quarterly basis.

(4) Network adequacy reports: The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center shall publicly release a report on Medicaid provider network adequacy within the first 3 years of implementation and annually thereafter. The reports shall identify provider service deserts and health care disparities by race and ethnicity.

Section 20. Federal financial participation. The Department of Healthcare and Family Services, to the extent allowable under federal law, shall maximize federal financial participation for any moneys appropriated to the Department for the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. Any federal financial participation funds obtained in accordance with this Section shall be used for the further development and expansion of the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center. All federal financial participation funds obtained under this subsection shall be deposited into the Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund created under Section 25.

Section 25. Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. The Fund shall consist of any moneys appropriated to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services for the purposes of this Act and any federal financial participation funds obtained as provided under Section 20. Moneys in the Fund shall be used for carrying out the purposes of this Act and for no other purpose. All interest earned on the moneys in the Fund shall be deposited into the Fund.

Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.935 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.935 new)

Sec. 5.935. The Medicaid Technical Assistance Center Fund.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.