CMS Issues New FAQs on CARES Act Implementation

As announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS):

“The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released additional guidance to states on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Public Law No. 116-127, and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Public Law No. 116-136.  This guidance is in the form of a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that addresses enhanced federal Medicaid funding and other topics during the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) national emergency. 

All Medicaid programs are jointly funded between the state and the federal governments where the federal government pays states for a specified percentage of program expenditures, commonly referred to as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP).

The guidance today covers topics such as:

• The Emergency Period described in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act;
• The New Optional Medicaid Eligibility Group;
• Benefits and Cost sharing for COVID-related testing and diagnostic services;
• Implications for the Children’s Health Insurance Program;
• Implications for the Basic Health Program;
• Additional Questions on the Increased FMAP under Section 6008 of the FFCRA;
• Availability of 100 percent FMAP and Other Financial Questions;
• Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act

The information released today furthers CMS’s commitment to providing our state partners the resources they need during this public health emergency, and earlier CMS actions in response to the COVID-19 crisis are all part of ongoing White House Coronavirus Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19, click here: www.coronavirus.gov. For a complete and updated list of CMS actions, guidance, and other information in response to the COVID-19 virus, please visit the Current Emergencies Website. Additionally, CMS has launched a dedicated, Medicaid.gov, COVID-19 resource page that will be continually updated with relevant information.”