SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Indications are that Medicaid expansion will not come up in the South Dakota legislature next session but lawmakers will discuss revenue needs for providers.
Representative Jean Hunhoff of Yankton says legislators held a summer study on Medicaid provider reimbursement.
Hunhoff says the conclusion reached by the panel was that the state needs more dollar for providers especially in community based and long-term care programs.
Hunhoff says it could be difficult finding more dollars for those providers. She says the medical-home model has shown some savings.
She says legislators must delve into what services the state is providing, including what coverage is needed to sustain access and services across South Dakota.
She says many of the providers are in small South Dakota towns. The task facing the state is determing what is working, what is not working and, at the end of the day, are there going to be additional resources for current Medicaid programs.
Hunhoff says sustaining Medicaid providers is a higher priority than expansion.