Bill Text: NJ S559 | 2010-2011 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Prohibits Medicaid from implementing broker system for medical transportation prior to receiving community input on proposed system.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S559 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2010-S559-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
214th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2010 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator SANDRA B. CUNNINGHAM
District 31 (Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits Medicaid from implementing broker system for medical transportation prior to receiving community input on proposed system.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel
An Act concerning transportation services provided under the Medicaid program.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. Under the provisions of the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, states are authorized to establish a non-emergency medical transportation brokerage program for beneficiaries who need access to medical care but have no other means of transportation; the act further provides that states that adopt the program would not be required to provide comparable services for all Medicaid enrollees, or freedom of choice among transportation providers;
b. The brokerage program would include wheelchair van, taxi, stretcher, car, and other transportation methods conducted under contract with a broker through a competitive bidding process; the broker would be subject to regular auditing by a state to ensure quality of services and adequacy of beneficiary access to medical care;
c. In April 2008, the Purchase Bureau in the State Division of Purchase and Property, on behalf of the State Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, which administers the Medicaid program, issued a request for proposal or RFP to solicit bid proposals for a primary single-source vendor to arrange for livery services in Essex and Hudson counties only, and livery transportation in other counties as those other counties agree to participate in the program, for all eligible Medicaid recipients;
d. Prior to issuing the RFP, the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services did not meet with or solicit comments from members of the affected communities, health care providers, and livery transportation providers, many of whom are minority business persons, who will be affected by the broker system; and
e. Therefore, in order to ensure continuity in the provision of livery transportation services to Medicaid recipients in Essex and Hudson counties, specifically, and to recipients in other counties as well, and to ensure that these services are provided in a cost- effective manner, it is necessary that the Medicaid program solicit comments from the affected communities about their respective transportation needs and the impact a single-source vendor will have on minority-owned businesses in those communities.
2. At least six months prior to implementing any plan to establish a single-source vendor for livery transportation services for Medicaid recipients in any county in this State, the Director of the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services shall hold at least one public meeting in each county that will be affected by the plan to discuss the plan and receive comments from members of the community, including Medicaid recipients, representatives of health care providers, and local livery transportation providers, as to how the plan will impact the affected community. The director shall seek to address the concerns raised at the public meeting, and revise the plan accordingly prior to its implementation in any county.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The purpose of this bill is to ensure continuity in the provision of livery transportation services to Medicaid recipients in Essex and Hudson counties, specifically, and to recipients in other counties as well, and to ensure that these services are provided in a cost- effective manner.
This bill provides that at least six months prior to implementing any plan to establish a single-source vendor for livery transportation services for Medicaid recipients in any county in this State, the Director of the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services in the Department of Human Services shall hold at least one public meeting in each county that will be affected by the plan to discuss the plan and receive comments from members of the community, including Medicaid recipients, representatives of health care providers, and local livery transportation providers, as to how the plan will impact the affected community. The director shall seek to address the concerns raised at the public meeting, and revise the plan accordingly prior to its implementation in any county.
Under the federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, states are authorized to establish a non-emergency medical transportation brokerage program for beneficiaries who need access to medial care but have no other means of transportation. The brokerage program would include wheelchair van, taxi, stretcher, car, and other transportation methods conducted under contract with a broker through a competitive bidding process. In April 2008, the Purchase Bureau in the State Division of Purchase and Property, on behalf of the State Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (which administers the Medicaid program), issued a request for proposal (RFP) to solicit bid proposals for a primary single-source vendor to arrange for livery services in Essex and Hudson counties only, and livery transportation in other counties as those other counties agree to participate in the program, for all eligible Medicaid recipients.
