SB1964eng 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SB1964 Engrossed LRB103 27539 KTG 53914 b

AN ACT concerning public aid.

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

Section 5. The Illinois Public Aid Code is amended by adding Sections 1-13 as follows:

(305 ILCS 5/1-13 new)

Sec. 1-13. Program and reimbursement changes under the medical assistance program.

(a) It is the purpose of this Section to improve planning and consistency for implementation of program and reimbursement changes under the medical assistance program. It is critical that there is an adequate planning timeline in order to structure changes in a way that meets the needs of program enrollees and allow proper time to educate and consult with impacted providers. Streamlining the dates upon which program and reimbursement changes take effect promotes strategic planning by the State to ensure all programs and policies are aligned to meet the goals of the medical assistance program. In addition, allowing time to operationalize changes and collaborate with providers significantly reduces provider confusion and abrasion.

(b) Effective January 1, 2024, for any program coverage benefit change or reimbursement methodology change enacted by the General Assembly or implemented through administrative rule by the Department after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 103rd General Assembly, there shall be a 6-month implementation period resulting in an effective date which is not sooner than 6 months following the effective date of the new change by law or administrative rule, except that the change shall either have an effective date of January 1 or July 1, whichever occurs first after the end of the 6-month implementation period. The Department and all affected Medicaid managed care organizations shall publish the applicable effective date of implementation for any such benefit or reimbursement methodology change on their publicly accessible website no less than 120 days prior to the effective date of implementation. The requirements of this Section do not apply to scheduled periodic rate updates, updates required by federal regulation, or required updates published by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Scheduled and periodic rate updates shall be published on the Department's publicly accessible website no less than 30 days prior to the effective date of such rate updates.