Minnesota Medicaid: 61% of providers disenrolled, leaving thousands of families in limbo
61% of MN Medicaid providers disenrolled
61% of Minnesota Medicaid providers have been disenrolled, leaving many families scrambling. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has more.
(FOX 9) - A major Medicaid provider revalidation deadline has left many Minnesota businesses and families scrambling to understand what comes next.
Minnesota's Medicaid revalidation process leaves providers in limbo
3,400+ Medicaid providers facing removal
Thousands of Minnesota Medicaid providers are facing removal. FOX 9's Corin Hoggard has more.
What we know:
The deadline for revalidating providers in 13 high-risk Medicaid programs was midnight Sunday, and only 37% of providers were revalidated by the Department of Human Services (DHS).
Out of 5,583 providers, 2,061 were revalidated, while 61% were disenrolled for reasons ranging from incomplete paperwork to failed site visits and background checks.
Some providers, like Superior Steps, never had a site visit and saw their applications still listed as "pending" when the deadline passed. Despite this, they were considered disenrolled and lost Medicaid payments, putting their businesses at risk.
Dig deeper:
Superior Steps, an autism therapy and treatment facility, had a significant impact on families like Matthew Barry’s, whose daughter was able to return to school after receiving care.
"We decided to enroll her full-time in ABA therapy, which was transformative for our family," said Matthew Barry, father of a Superior Steps student.
Now, with the disenrollment, families and providers are left uncertain about the future of these essential services.
"It would be going back to square one," said Barry.
Providers voice concerns over fairness and process
What they're saying:
Some business owners believe the state does not have enough time to process all applications.
"That's exactly what happened, and I'm one of them. And that's telling me that we didn't get a fair chance. They didn't even look at ours yet, right?" said Annie Prchal of Superior Steps.
Prchal also described the emotional toll of the process, saying, "Feels like it's all being swiped away from me and from the clients like that the things that we have built is just going to be gone."
What's next:
About 800 disenrolled businesses have already appealed their status, and some are considering legal action if their disenrollment is not reversed.
While one business, Bella Mente Home Care, was revalidated, others are still refreshing their profiles and waiting for answers.
DHS has not said whether any of the disenrolled providers are suspected of fraud.
In total, 111 agencies are no longer providing services, and 59 were referred to the inspector general.
The situation has left many businesses financially strapped, especially after delayed payments from the state late last year.