Capitol Correspondence - 05.21.18

CMS Signals Rejection of ANY Medicaid Lifetime Caps

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According to a snippet from FierceHealthcare:

“The Trump administration will not approve any Medicaid lifetime limits, according to the agency’s head, leaving four state waiver proposals hanging out to dry.  

Seema Verma, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, said Tuesday in a live news event hosted by the Washington Post that the agency has ‘indicated we would not approve lifetime limits’ and has made that ‘pretty clear to the states.’ 

‘We seek to create a pathway out of poverty, but we also understand that people’s circumstances change, and we must ensure that our programs are sustainable and available to them when they need and qualify for them,’ Verma previously said. 

Some questioned whether Kansas’ waiver rejection was due to the state’s short three-year limit, and if longer limits had more potential. The answer is now a clear ‘no, leaving four states—Arizona, Utah, Maine and Wisconsin—awaiting denial.”

ANCOR will continue to keep members updated on Administrative actions on Medicaid.