Lack of transparency in how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reviews state Medicaid waiver requests “may leave the agency and the public without key information to fully understand the potential impact of the changes being proposed, including on beneficiaries and costs,” according to a new report from the Government...
off the charts
POLICY INSIGHT
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
BEYOND THE NUMBERS
Utah’s Waiver Approval Limits Enrollment, Restricts Access to Care
March 29, 2019
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its initial approval today of Utah’s Medicaid waiver that expands coverage to some low-income adults but rejects a full expansion of Medicaid that would have covered tens of thousands more.
CMS gave Utah unprecedented authority to cap enrollment based solely on state funding decisions, and it also approved the state’s proposal...
Iowa Bill Would Cause Thousands to Lose Medicaid Coverage
March 20, 2019
In Iowa, a Senate-passed bill that’s now before the House would almost certainly take Medicaid coverage away from thousands of people who can’t meet a work requirement.
The bill, which the Senate passed yesterday, would require all non-elderly adult Medicaid beneficiaries to document 20...
States Are Reconsidering Restrictive Medicaid Waiver Policies
February 25, 2019
New governors and legislatures in Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, and New Mexico are taking steps to protect access to health care for thousands of low-income Medicaid beneficiaries by reconsidering restrictive policies that their predecessors put in place through federal waivers, such as taking Medicaid coverage away from people who don’t meet rigid work requirements and imposing premiums and...
Arizona Should Reconsider Policies That Will Take Away Medicaid, Increase Hardship
January 18, 2019
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved two Medicaid waivers for Arizona that will reduce coverage, make it harder for people to access affordable care, and increase financial hardship. The first waiver lets the state take away Medicaid from people not...
Despite Mounting Evidence of Harm, New Hampshire Poised to Impose Harsh Medicaid Work Rules
December 3, 2018
With federal approval now in hand, New Hampshire appears poised to move forward with a new policy to take away Medicaid coverage from people not working or engaged in qualifying work activities for 100 hours per month — despite mounting evidence that it will lead thousands of residents to lose coverage, including working people and people with serious health needs.
On Friday, the...
Congress Should Extend Successful “Money Follows the Person” Demonstration
September 4, 2018
The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing tomorrow to consider the EMPOWER Care Act, which would reauthorize and fund the successful, cost-effective Money Follows the Person (MFP)...
Medicaid Is Key to Implementing Olmstead’s Community Integration Requirements for People With Disabilities
June 22, 2018
Nineteen years ago today, the Supreme Court found in Olmstead v. L.C. that states and localities must generally serve people with disabilities in the community rather than in institutions when community-based services can meet their needs. Over the last 19 years, the Olmstead decision has helped many people with disabilities live in their community rather than an institution...
