Take Action Now! Restore the Behavioral Health Training Program and Preserve the Wage Enhancement

Advocates for the Rhode Island Partnership for Home Care strongly support House Bill 5774 and Senate Bill 255, which are essential to ensuring the stability, sustainability and accessibility of home care services for Medicaid beneficiaries. These bills address two critical challenges in Rhode Island's home care system: the need for fair and consistent reimbursement rates and the necessity of continued funding for specialized behavioral health training for home care workers. By establishing a Medicaid home care rate floor, the legislation prevents managed care organizations (MCOs) from undercutting rates established by the Rhode Island General Assembly (state legislature), which directly impacts the wages of home care professionals and the financial viability of Rhode Island Department of Health licensed home care, home nursing care and hospice providers. Additionally, the bills safeguard a $1.56 per hour wage enhancement for home care workers who have completed specialized behavioral health training and when their employer meets a 30% minimum threshold of licensed nurse assistants (CNA) and homemakers that work with Medicaid beneficiaries and have completed the training program, ensuring that they can continue to deliver high-quality care to patients and clients with complex physical and behavioral healthcare needs. Without these provisions, Rhode Island risks destabilizing its home care workforce, exacerbating staff shortages and reducing access to essential services for vulnerable, homebound populations.

Key Provisions of the Legislation:

  1. Establishing a Medicaid Home Care Rate Floor

    • Ensures that Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs) cannot reimburse home care providers at rates lower than the fee-for-service (FFS) rates set by the General Assembly.

    • Prevents private insurance companies from undercutting state-established reimbursement rates, which directly impact wages for home care workers.

    • Supports financial stability for home care and hospice providers, enabling them to maintain quality care and operations.

  2. Continuing the Behavioral Health Training Program & Rate Enhancement

    • Preserves a $1.56 per hour wage increase for over 600 CNAs and homemakers who completed the state's behavioral health training program developed by the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and Rhode Island College (RIC).

    • Without continued funding, these workers--among the lowest-paid in healthcare--will face dramatic wage cuts after June 30, 2025.

    • Strengthens the home care workforce's ability to provide specialized care for patients and clients with Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, anxiety disorders, delirium and depression.

Why This Legislation Matters

  • Protects Fair Pay & Workforce Stability - Ensures that Medicaid-contracted home care providers can offer competitive wages to retain CNAs and homemakers.

  • Prevents Rate Cuts & Service Disruptions - Keeps home care services financially viable, preventing reduced access for vulnerable, homebound Medicaid beneficiaries.

  • Supports Cost-Effective Healthcare - Promotes home care as a more affordable alternative to institutional settings, such as taxpayer-funded assisted living and nursing homes, reducing overall Medicaid spending.

Call to Action

Rhode Island must prioritize stable funding for home care providers and their workforce by passing these bills as part of the State Fiscal Year 2026 budget (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026). Take action now by urging your State Representative and State Senator to protect quality, accessible home care services for those who rely on them.