Next Steps in ANCOR’s Response to CMS Announcements on Provider Taxes, Block Grants

Last week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule on Medicaid supplemental payments (including provider taxes) and upcoming block grant guidance. In response, ANCOR is undertaking the following steps on these issues:

• Supplemental payments: Barbara Merrill, CEO, is currently going through the 222-page notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) and reaching out to experts to understand its implications. We aim to release our formal analysis as resource for our members in the coming weeks and plan to submit comments – the comment period on this NPRM is 60 days. In the meantime, we encourage members to visit the ACC to read ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill’s preliminary thoughts.

• Block grants: CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced that guidance on how states can issue block grants will be released soon – it has been undergoing White House review since June. In her remarks she specified that the guidance will include adult optional populations. While that hints that the guidance’s focus will be on the Medicaid expansion population, ANCOR will be monitoring the release of the guidance for implications for the disability community.

Stay tuned – we will announce resources and content as we develop it.