Money Available for Hurricane Related Healthcare

Health care providers in six Hurricane Rita affected parishes who provided no-cost treatment for uninsured patients will be reimbursed through a pool of federal funds. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has provided Louisiana with $10.6 million to reimburse providers for uncompensated care related to Hurricane Rita. The Department of Health and Hospitals will use this money for providers in Allen, Beauregard, Evangeline, Sabine, St. Landry and Vernon parishes, which were federally designated as Rita-impacted areas. Cameron and Calcasieu parishes were also affected by Hurricane Rita; however, all coastal parishes in Louisiana were designated as eligible areas for uncompensated care funding following Hurricane Katrina. Whenever there is an overlap, the federal government designates that parish for reimbursement under Katrina, which happened first. As coastal parishes, Cameron and Calcasieu were eligible for reimbursement from the Katrina uncompensated care funds, and providers in those areas have submitted claims. Louisiana Medicaid will reimburse providers with the uncompensated care funding if they treated evacuees who received medically necessary treatment but had no source of payment for these services. Hospitals will be reimbursed at 100 percent of the Medicaid rate. Providers were able to begin billing Medicaid for this uncompensated care on March 13, 2006. They must submit an invoice by June 30, 2006 for each Rita evacuee served to obtain payment. Providers will be reimbursed only for dates of service starting on Sept. 23, 2005 and up to Jan. 31, 2006. Services that are eligible for reimbursement include inpatient and outpatient hospitals care, physician services, emergency ambulance transportation, home health services, treatment in nursing homes and various other medically necessary services as allowed by the federal government.