ENROLLEDHCAHB198 4465 1735 HOUSE COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS Regular Session HOUSEAmendments BILLproposed NO.byHouse Committee on Health and Welfare to Original House Bill No.

198 BYby REPRESENTATIVERepresentative ECHOLSEchols ANDAMENDMENT SENATORSNO. BARROW, JACKSON- ANDREWS, AND JENKINS AND REPRESENTATIVE CHASSION AN ACT To enact R.S.

46:452,1 relativeOn topage ambulatory1, surgicalline centers;10, delete "procedures" insert "and otolaryngology procedures and dental surgeries" AMENDMENT NO.

to2 provideOn forpage Medicaid1, reimbursementline rates;13, delete "procedures" insert "and otolaryngology procedures and dental surgeries" Page 1 of 1 CODING:

to provide for a reimbursement rate plan;

to provide for implementation;toprovideforadeadline;to authorizetheLouisianaDepartmentof Health to promulgate rules;

to provide for implementation;

to provide for an effective date;

and to provide for related matters.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:

Section 1.

R.S.

46:452 is hereby enacted to read as follows:

§452.

Medicaid ambulatory surgical center reimbursement plan;

Medicare rate comparability A.(1) The Louisiana Department of Health shall develop and implement a plan for increased Medicaid managed care organization reimbursement rates and fee-for-service reimbursement rates for gastroenterology, dental ophthalmology, dental and otolaryngology procedures conducted at ambulatorysurgical centers.

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HB NO.

198 ENROLLED (2) The reimbursement rate established pursuant to this Section shall be the lesser of the following:

(a) The rate paid for the same or similar procedure in an outpatienthospital setting.

(b) One hundred percent of the Medicare rate for the same or similar procedure.

(3) The plan shall include procedure codes utilized for gastroenterology, ophthalmology, dental and otolaryngology procedures conducted at ambulatory surgical centers and the estimated cost of implementation of the plan.

B.

The Louisiana Department of Health shall take all necessary actions to annually update the reimbursement rates for gastroenterology, dental, ophthalmology, and otolaryngology procedures conducted at ambulatory surgical centers in accordance with the methodology provided in Subsection A of this Section.

C.TheLouisianaDepartmentofHealthshallsubmittheplanrequiredbythis Section to the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on Finance,theHouseCommitteeonHealthandWelfare,andtheHouseCommitteeon Appropriations no later than October 1, 2026.

D.

Not later than October1, 2026, the Louisiana Department of Health shall takeallnecessaryactions,includingbut not limited to filinganyMedicaidstateplan amendment required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, to implement the provisions of this Section.

E.

The Louisiana Department of Health shall promulgate all rules and regulationsin accordancewith theAdministrative ProcedureActasarenecessaryto implement the provisions of this Section.

Section 2.

Not laterthanOctober1,2026,theLouisianaDepartmentofHealthshall take all necessary actions including but not limited to filing a Medicaid state plan amendment, to implement the provisions of Section 1 of this Act.

Section 3.

The implementation of the provisions of this Act shall be subject to the appropriation of funds by the legislature for this purpose.

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198 ENROLLED Section 4.

This Act shall become effective upon signature bythe governor or, if not signedbythegovernor,uponexpirationofthetimeforbillstobecomelawwithoutsignature by the governor, as provided by Article III, Section 18 of the Constitution of Louisiana.

If vetoed bythe governorand subsequentlyapproved bythe legislature, this Act shall become effective on the dayfollowing such approval.