HHS Rule Sets New Standard Allowing Hospitals To Bill For Presumed-Eligible Medicaid Patients

Starting January 1, 2014, hospitals participating in Medicaid will be permitted to presume that some uninsured patients are eligible for Medicaid and bill the state for their care, according to a final rule about Medicaid eligibility released by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The new rule is part of the implementation of a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (PPACA). Hospitals will be permitted to make presumptive eligibility determinations for uninsured individuals based on income for all state Medicaid program eligibility categories. This is a federal rule, states are not required . . .