| In 1995, as part of the Productivity Realization Task Force |
recommendations, a 25¢ processing fee was imposed on all Medicaid |
pharmacy claims that were filed electronically. The federal |
Health Care Financing Administration subsequently ruled that |
processing fees were not allowed and the enabling statute in |
Maine was repealed as a result. The Department of Human Services, |
however, imposed the fee by changing the dispensing fee for |
Medicaid reimbursement. This bill prohibits the imposition of a |
processing fee or the restructuring of the reimbursement rate for |
electronically submitted claims. The bill also establishes a |
requirement that the Department of Human Services conduct a |
current cost-of-dispensing survey prior to any subsequent |
revisions to the dispensing fee. |