Senate Bill 23-002 Summary

• State Department of Health Care Policy and Financing must seek federal authorization from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by July 1, 2024 to reimburse community health worker services including preventive care, health education, health navigation, and social needs screening.

• Defines community health worker as a frontline public health worker serving as liaison between healthcare providers and community members to facilitate access to physical, behavioral, and dental health services while improving cultural responsiveness.

• Requires at least four public stakeholder meetings before seeking federal authorization to develop requirements regarding worker qualifications, covered services, provider enrollment, billing processes, and reimbursement models.

• Establishes voluntary competency-based community health worker registry requiring workers to complete state-approved training and meet credentialing requirements based on generalist entry-level core competencies to receive Medicaid reimbursement.

• Appropriates $40,717 in general fund and anticipates $40,717 in federal funds to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, plus $169,973 to the Department of Public Health and Environment for community health worker initiative implementation.