Medical assistance hospice service coverage expanded to include room and board.
Summary
HF672 amends Minnesota’s medical assistance hospice statute to expand covered hospice-related benefits. Under current law, medical assistance covers hospice care services as authorized by federal law and rule; this bill adds an explicit requirement that room and board expenses be covered for people receiving hospice services in a community-based setting, so long as those expenses are not already covered elsewhere in Minnesota law.
The bill also preserves existing hospice provisions, including the rule that a person age 21 or under who elects hospice does not waive coverage for treatment-related services for the terminal condition. It further clarifies that hospice respite and end-of-life care under a separate subdivision are not included within this hospice-care definition. In practical terms, the bill would shift Minnesota’s medical assistance program to pay for an additional component of hospice care for eligible enrollees living in community-based settings.
Impact
HF672 would amend Minnesota Statutes section 256B.0625, subdivision 22, by requiring medical assistance to cover room and board costs associated with hospice care in community-based settings when those costs are not otherwise paid under chapter 256B or chapter 256I. The change would affect the state Medicaid program, hospice providers, and recipients receiving hospice care outside of institutional settings, potentially increasing state medical assistance expenditures and reducing out-of-pocket housing-related costs for eligible patients and families.
Sentiment
The available record suggests generally supportive or noncontroversial treatment of the bill, but there is limited evidence of formal debate because no committee transcript or vote record is provided. The bill was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Health Finance and Policy, indicating it was considered within the health financing and policy process. The caption and text frame the measure as an expansion of hospice coverage rather than a restrictive change, which typically signals a favorable policy intent toward end-of-life care access.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Potential areas of concern, based on the bill’s substance, would likely involve the fiscal impact on medical assistance, whether room and board should be treated as a covered hospice expense, and how the new coverage would interact with existing housing assistance under chapter 256I or other payment sources. Any opposition would most likely come from those focused on state budget costs or on the scope of Medicaid benefits, while supporters would likely emphasize improved access and continuity of hospice care for patients in community settings.
Medical assistance coverage of drugs covered by a primary third-party payer required, and coverage of in-network services by medical assistance regardless of network or referral status for a primary third-party payer required.