Investigation Concluded by Committee on Medicaid Accountability and Taxpayer Protection

The Missouri Senate Interim Committee on Medicaid Accountability and Taxpayer Protection concluded its investigation into Missouri Health Net and issued a second report on Wednesday.

In the first report issued in late September the Committee made recommendations related to abortion providers and their family planning affiliates through Missouri Health Net. As a result, the Department of Health and Senior Services and the Department of Social Services have issued emergency rules to refine their rules and regulations, potentially affecting the licensure of facilities that do not comply.

The second and final report filed yesterday outlines ways to improve the efficacy and transparency of Missouri’s Medicaid program. The Committee recommends utilizing the surplus of federal COVID and stimulus funds to replace outdated computer information systems within the Department of Social Services and the Department of Health and Senior Services; to develop a public dashboard to improve transparency and help benefit recipients navigate available programs; to create a unified fee schedule to align services throughout the state and improve managed care; to modify the state statute relating to abuse in senior care facilities by adding a negligence provision; and to extend Missouri Health Net coverage to one year for postpartum women in order to address Missouri’s high maternal mortality rates.