Changes to Medicaid and health funding of interest to Johns Hopkins specifically include:

• The Cigarette Restitution Fund is reduced by $3.6 million instead of $7.2 million, for a total funding amount of $9.4 million. While the allocation between Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland has historically been 20% and 80% respectively, the exact allocation between the two has yet to be determined. The Committee also rejected the budget proposal to permanently reduce this funding. With this action the mandated funding level for FY 2017 is $13 million.
• The Maryland Health Insurance Plan (MHIP) hospital assessment of 0.3% net patient revenue was eliminated for FY 2016, reducing hospital rates by $36 million and providing $3 million in savings to Medicaid. The Committee rejected a recommendation from the Department of Legislative Services (DLS) to permanently eliminate the MHIP assessment.
• The Committee adopted a recommendation from DLS related to the Medicaid deficit assessment of $389 million. Instead of using a calculation of Medicaid savings under the modernized waiver to offset the assessment, the assessment will be reduced by $20 million annually.
• A proposal to reduce the Medicaid eligibility level for pregnant women from 250% of FPL to 185% of FPL was rejected. The cost of rejecting this proposal is $4.8 million.
• The Committee also dedicated funds to partially restore several Medicaid provider rate reductions included in the Governor’s budget:
  • $14.4 million to restore primary care evaluation and management rates to 93% of Medicare as of April 1, 2015 (the budget as introduced funded these rates at 87% of Medicare).
  • $1.6 million to restore psychiatrist evaluation and management rates to 93% of Medicare effective April 1, 2015(the budget as introduced funded these rates at 87% of Medicare).
  • $6.5 million to maintain community mental health provider reimbursement rates at the rate in effect January 1, 2015.
• $2 million was identified to expand substance abuse treatment targeted at individuals with heroin addiction.

Pertaining to education, the Committee increased funding for the Sellinger Program by $1.4 million above the $41.4 million flat-funding amount included in the Governor’s budget.