This bill mandates the Department of Health and Human Services to create an administrative day rate and a swing bed rate under the state Medicaid plan specifically for certain hospital stays involving parents of newborns. The new section, RSA 126-A:18-c, outlines that the administrative day rate will apply when a client does not qualify for acute inpatient care but cannot be discharged due to the unavailability of appropriate placement and the need for continuous care of the newborn. The bill stipulates that the department will use the annual statewide weighted average nursing facility Medicaid payment rate to update the administrative day rate annually, which will cover up to five newborn administrative days, with the possibility of additional days through expedited prior authorization.

Additionally, the bill establishes a swing bed day rate for clients receiving approved nursing services in a swing bed, clarifying that hospitals will not receive the acute inpatient rate for these days. It also specifies that ancillary services not covered under the swing bed rate can be billed separately, and pharmacy services must be billed directly by pharmacies rather than through hospitals. The bill does not allocate new funding or positions but anticipates an expenditure of approximately $57,330 annually, which will be funded through the general fund. The effective date for this act is set for July 1, 2025.