MS SB2695

Medicare-certified long-term acute care hospitals may be exempted from the hospital provider assessment used to fund Mississippi's Medicaid program, at the discretion of the Division of Medicaid.

The exemption is contingent on approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and cannot result in the state receiving a lower federal financial participation rate for any supplemental payment program.

The bill amends Section 43-13-145 of the Mississippi Code, which governs healthcare facility assessments for nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities, psychiatric residential treatment facilities, and hospitals.

Existing exemptions from hospital assessments already apply to hospitals operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and state-operated psychiatric facilities.

The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and the entire assessment section is set to be repealed on July 1, 2028.