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Nebraska is considering reimbursing translation and interpretation services for Medicaid patients in the near future.

Nebraskau2019s Health and Human Services Committee is now considering a bill that would reimburse healthcare providers for offering their patients language services u2014 namely, translation and interpreting.

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Nebraska is considering reimbursing translation and interpretation services for Medicaid patients in the near future.

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  1. Nebraska is considering reimbursing translation and interpretation services for Medicaid patients in the near future. www.slator.com

  2. The Health and Human Services Committee in Nebraska is currently reviewing a bill that proposes reimbursing healthcare providers for providing language services to their patients, specifically translation and interpretation. More specifically, the bill (LB62) applies to healthcare providers treating patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) who participate in the state’s Medicaid program. The nondiscrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare), known as ACA 1557, mandates that healthcare providers receiving Federal funds enable language access for LEP patients — including healthcare providers who accept Medicaid. According to coverage by the Lincoln Journal Star, reimbursements for interpreter services suddenly stopped in early 2023. However, as early as 2017, HHS had informed healthcare providers in the Nebraska Medicaid network that Medicaid was not responsible for reimbursements for language services. The combined ACA mandate, in addition to strict standards from the Joint Commission, the certifying body for hospitals, meant providers were forced to pay for translation and interpreting services out of their own budgets. www.slator.com

  3. Costs and Calculations Omaha Senator Machaela Cavanaugh first introduced LB62 in January 2023 and has advocated for its reconsideration in 2024. Several amendments have been included, and as of March 7, 2024, the Nebraska Health and Human Services Committee holds the next decision regarding the bill. According to a March 1, 2024 statement by the committee, reimbursement would begin January 1, 2024, so it is unclear whether the start date will be adjusted or the reimbursements will apply retroactively. Estimates of the cost of this bill vary from USD 3.87m to 4.89m for FY 2024-25. The figures depend not only on the reimbursement rate, which is different for children versus adults, but also on the number of Nebraskans estimated to have LEP (4.75% of the state’s population, which translates to nearly 16,400 Medicaid enrollees) or to be Deaf (1% of the population, or about 3,400 Medicaid enrollees). The fiscal note accompanying the bill cites a 2018 article to estimate the average cost per claim (USD 50). It also includes a breakdown by HHS of the services needed: 10%, in-person interpretation at USD 195 per visit; 65%, over-the-phone interpretation (OPI) at USD 22.50 per 15-minute visit; and 25%, video remote interpretation (VRI) at USD 40.80 per 15-minute visit. www.slator.com

  4. Slator is the leading source of news and research for the global translation, localization, and language technology industry. Our Advisory practice is a trusted partner to clients looking for independent analysis. Headquartered in Zurich, Slator has a presence in Asia, Europe, and the US. www.slator.com

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