RI H8218

Establishes Medicaid fee-for-service reimbursement rates as the minimum floor that Medicaid managed care plans must pay home care, home nursing care, and hospice providers licensed by the Rhode Island Department of Health.

Effective July 1, 2026, increases shift differential and overtime rates to 1.5 times the base rate for overnight, weekend, and holiday shifts for personal care services, and 2 times the base rate for private duty nursing during those periods.

Creates a 10% enhancement rate by July 1, 2026 for providers serving Medicaid beneficiaries in rural communities with population density under 1,000 and population size under 25,000, funded through federal Rural Health Transformation provisions.

Requires compliance by July 1, 2026 with federal labor regulations (29 C.F.R. § 785) mandating reimbursement to providers for all time and travel costs when direct care employees travel to and from Medicaid beneficiaries.

Modifies behavioral health training requirements to allow providers whose direct care workers actively participate annually in behavioral health training to receive the $0.39 per 15-minute enhancement rate, replacing the previous 30% certification threshold.