Today's deep dives cover Maine's draft 2027 MaineCare rate review schedule and Minnesota's six-month extension of its freeze on new EIDBI autism agencies. Below are the day's other stories, each linked to its source.
Today's deep dives
Maine CY27 rate schedule: ICF/IID review, comments Nov. 24. Maine's draft list of 2027 MaineCare rate reviews puts intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities up for their first review since the state's rate reform law took effect, while a group of HCBS rate reviews carries over from 2026. Written comments are due Nov. 24, and the final schedule is planned for Dec. 15.
Minnesota EIDBI freeze on new agencies extended to April 30. With federal approval, Minnesota's Department of Human Services will keep new EIDBI agencies out of Medicaid for six more months. Only agencies with a provisional license approved by Dec. 31 may add locations, and separate billing limits start no earlier than July 1, 2027.
More news today
New York: OPWDD urges people it serves to check their Medicaid coverage. In an Oct. 30 message, Commissioner Willow Baer said the 2025 federal law known as H.R. 1 brings Medicaid work requirements and six-month renewals for some adults ages 19 to 64. Many people who receive OPWDD services, and some family caregivers, are exempt from the work requirements, but she said people may need to show proof of an exception at renewal. She pointed families to the state Health Department's new "Stay Covered" webpage and to their care managers. Read our story on the court ruling over who counts as medically frail. Source: New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities
Ohio: Delaware County DD levy goes to voters on Tuesday. The Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities is asking voters on Nov. 3 to approve a five-year, 1.8-mill levy, which the board estimates would cost $63 a year per $100,000 of home value. The board's 2.0-mill levy from 2011 expired at the end of 2025, and its collections end Dec. 31, 2026. The board, which serves more than 2,400 children and adults, says that if the levy fails it would suspend all new Medicaid waiver enrollment, end its early intervention and family support programs and plan layoffs. WOSU's All Sides rebroadcast a discussion of the levy on Oct. 30. Read our story on Champaign County's levy on the same ballot. Sources: Delaware County Board of Developmental Disabilities, WOSU
Idaho: families still struggling a year after paid family caregiving ended. Idaho ended its Family Personal Care Services program, which paid parents and spouses to care for family members with disabilities, in July 2025, citing fraud and a lack of staff and money to run it. Families told the Idaho Statesman they have taken on extra jobs and struggled to fill approved care hours with outside direct care workers. The state said in June that only about half of the nearly 900 people in the program when it ended had Medicaid-paid workers. Rep. Ilana Rubel says she hopes to bring back a bill to restore the program, which did not get a hearing last session. Read our story on Idaho's residential habilitation rate cut. Source: Idaho Statesman via Disability Scoop