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Last week we shared with you that the Mississippi Division of Medicaid is proposing to change the way it pays for Mississippi Youth Programs Around the Clock (MYPAC) services. Rather than pay a bundled rate ($347.74 per day for up to 115 days per year) for each day a child receives MYPAC services, the Division will now likely pay a monthly targeted case management rate with medically necessary individualized services purchased separately.

The change was made to be compliant with methodology changes the Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) may require at the federal level and a provider payment freeze implemented by the state legislature effective July 1, 2021. When we spoke with Drew Snyder, executive director of the Division of Medicaid last week he stressed that although the payment methodology is changing for MYPAC, the Division of Medicaid is committed to children and families continuing to receive the service.

Any time a policy change is proposed, the public can comment on it.  We encourage families and others who have feedback about MYPAC or this policy to submit public comments. Nobody knows better than the families who are receiving or have received MYPAC services how the services could be most helpful. Your feedback may also help the Division of Medicaid better understand how to determine the rate for MYPAC. You do not need to have a complete understanding of the payment changes to comment on MYPAC services.

MYPAC written comments should be sent to the Division of Medicaid, Office of the Governor, Office of Policy, Walter Sillers Building, Suite 1000, 550 High Street, Jackson, Mississippi 39201, or Margaret.Wilson@medicaid.ms.gov by June 4. Public comments will be published and available for review. If you do not want your name published with your comments, request that your comments be published anonymously when you send your comments in.

According to the Division of Medicaid: “Mississippi Youth Programs Around the Clock (MYPAC) is a home and community-based Medicaid program for children and youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED), that follows the High Fidelity Wraparound process. MYPAC provides an array of services, as an alternative to traditional Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities (PRTF).  Wraparound is an all-inclusive planning process that is youth-guided and family-driven. This process is based on a strength-based philosophy of care that brings community services and natural supports together from various parts of the youth and family’s life. The all-inclusive planning process is a way to help children and youth with complex mental health needs, and their families, achieve their hopes and dreams.  Parents and/or guardians are much more involved with the planning and implementation of the services provided for their child while in MYPAC.”

If you are considering giving public comments about MYPAC, we encourage you to share whatever thoughts you have.  These are some questions we’ve shared with families who are thinking through giving  comments:

These are some documents that describe MYPAC and Wraparound, the philosophy and approach upon which MYPAC is based:

Families as Allies conducted a webinar through the Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center (MS PTI), “What is a System of Care and What Does Wraparound Mean?” on Tuesday, May 18, which included information about the Division of Medicaid’s proposed policy change regarding MYPAC. The recording and the slides should be available on MS PTI’s website within a few days.