HB1385

House Bill 1385 requires the Arkansas Medicaid Program to provide reimbursement for long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) administered to patients during the postpartum period. The bill finds that current Medicaid payment models for pregnant women make providing these contraceptive services cost-prohibitive for healthcare providers. Under the proposed legislation, this reimbursement must be provided in addition to the standard global payments already provided to healthcare providers for maternal services. The Department of Human Services is tasked with seeking any federal waivers, state plan amendments, or authorizations necessary to implement this policy. The primary intent is to ensure that providers are adequately compensated for these services, thereby increasing their availability to Medicaid patients.