Ohio’s largest Medicaid managed care provider is cutting reimbursements for behavioral health. CareSource announced it will cut future reimbursements and recoup payments that already have been made.
On Cincinnati Edition, we talk with two therapy providers about what this means for their practices and their patients. And we'll discuss the broader cuts to Medicaid.
Guests:
- Alyx Fields, owner, Inclusive Counseling
- Darsey Stump, chief clinical officer, Self Care Counseling
- Bram Sable-Smith, midwest correspondent, KFF Health News
Cincinnati Edition invited CareSource to join this discussion. They declined but provided this statement:
"CareSource’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of Ohioans. As part of this commitment, we responsibly manage Medicaid funds to maintain high-quality, affordable care. During a recent review, we identified that some behavioral health providers have been historically overpaid for certain services.
Following our standard practice, we informed these providers that we need to recoup these overpayments and will reimburse them at the correct contractual rates moving forward. This is not a rate reduction, but rather an effort to ensure CareSource is accurately paying claims in accordance with our fiduciary duty as a steward of public funds.
We understand this may cause concern for some providers, and we are committed to working with them to review their individual circumstances. Throughout this process, we remain focused on protecting our members' access to quality care and supporting provider network stability."
Beginning at noon, call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on this topic. You can catch a recorded replay at 8 p.m.