CMS Rejects Kansas’ Request For Lifetime Limits On Medicaid
"We're determined to make sure that Medicaid remains the safety net for those that need it most," CMS Administrator Seema Verma said of the decision to reject Kansas' proposed 36-month lifetime cap on benefits. CMS did approve New Hampshire's Medicaid work requirements request.
Modern Healthcare:
Verma Draws The Line On Medicaid Limits, ACO Risk Contracts
CMS Administrator Seema Verma offered hospital executives on Monday good and bad news on Medicaid coverage limits and accountable care organizations' risk contracts. The CMS will reject Kansas' request to impose lifetime limits on Medicaid coverage, following an outcry from clinicians and others in the state. Late last year, the state submitted a waiver to impose a 36-month enrollment cap on adult Medicaid beneficiaries. (Dickson, 5/7)
The Hill:
Trump Officials Reject Medicaid Lifetime Limits In Kansas
“We have determined that we will not approve Kansas’ recent request to place a lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits for some beneficiaries,” Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator (CMS) Seema Verma said Monday in a speech at a meeting of the American Hospital Association. “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,” she added. (Sullivan, 5/7)
Kaiser Health News:
Federal Officials Say No-Go To Lifetime Limits On Medicaid
This marked the first time the Trump administration has rejected a state’s Medicaid waiver request regarding who is eligible for the program. Critics of time limits, who say such a change would unfairly burden people who struggle financially throughout their lives, cheered the decision. “This is good news,” said Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families, a Medicaid advocate. “This was a bridge too far for this CMS.” (Galewitz, 5/7)
KCUR:
Feds Say Kansas Can’t Cap Time On Medicaid
Gov. Jeff Colyer had wanted to include the limit in a remake of the state’s privatized Medicaid system, KanCare. He also wants work requirements for non-disabled KanCare beneficiaries. Late last month, he walked back his stance on pursuing a lifetime cap, while sticking by the work proposal. Both ideas had faced criticism from health care advocates who fear they would reduce poor people’s access to doctors and medication. In a press release Monday, Colyer said the call to back off from a three-year limit came after conversations with the federal agency in charge of that program made clear the Trump administration wouldn’t allow it. (Llopis-Jepsen, 5/7)
The Hill:
New Hampshire Wins Approval For Medicaid Work Requirements
Medicaid beneficiaries in New Hampshire will have to work, attend school or perform community service to be eligible for benefits under a new waiver approved by the Trump administration. Under the program, adults aged 19 to 64 will be required to participate in 100 hours per month of “community engagement activities,” such as employment, education, job skills training or community service. (Weixel, 5/7)
Concord (N.H.) Monitor:
N.H. Medicaid Expansion Work Requirement Approved By Washington
In a letter to the state released Monday afternoon, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma said the agency will greenlight a waiver sent by the state last year. The waiver means individuals between the ages of 19 and 64 will need to participate in at least 100 hours a month of “community engagement activities” – which can include employment, community service or job training. The mandate includes numerous exceptions, including for people with children up to age 12 and those with disabilities. (DeWitt, 5/7)
In other Medicaid news —
New Orleans Times-Picayune:
Louisiana Will Put 37,000 Medicaid Recipients On Notice That They Could Lose Benefits
The Louisiana Department of Health is preparing to send notifications to 37,000 people who are elderly and disabled this week that they will lose Medicaid benefits after July 1. Even if state lawmakers find the money to pay for those services before then, state officials said they were compelled to warn Medicaid recipients that the cuts are a distinct possibility. ...Those receiving notification include around 20,000 people who live in nursing homes, thousands of people with intellectual disabilities who live in group homes and those who receive home health care assistance. All of their support services would be at risk, including the ability to stay in a nursing home, if state Medicaid funding is slashed. (O'Donoghue, 5/7)
Nashville Tennessean:
Medicaid Expansion In Tennessee: 63 Percent In Support, Poll Says
Medicaid expansion in Tennessee has strong support among registered voters statewide according to a recent poll that a number of patient advocacy groups are getting behind. The poll, conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research in April, showed 63 percent support Medicaid expansion with the use of federal funds to 21 percent against and 16 percent undecided. A total of 625 registered voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. (Humbles, 5/7)
Chicago Tribune:
Independent Pharmacies Struggling Under New Medicaid Program
Because Medicaid managed care organizations reimburse pharmacies for medications at lower rates than traditional Medicaid, some independent pharmacies worry they’ll go out of business, leaving fewer options for consumers, especially in areas without many drugstores. Gov. Bruce Rauner recently expanded the state’s Medicaid managed care program to 80 percent of Illinois residents on Medicaid as part of a bigger overhaul of the program. That means pharmacies with large numbers of customers on Medicaid may feel the effects of lower reimbursement rates. The rates affect all pharmacies who serve Medicaid managed care customers, but larger chains might be able to better weather the the change, some say. (Schencker, 5/7)
Chicago Sun Times:
Rauner Calls Federal Approval Of Mental Health Money A Historic Health Victory
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Monday announced the federal government has approved a state Medicaid waiver that will allow community-based service providers to provide more care for patients with substance abuse and other mental health problems. The waiver, which was more than two years in the making and includes 10 pilot programs, will provide services that are not currently covered by Medicaid, Felicia Norwood, director of the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services, said Monday at a West Side press conference. And it’s aimed at getting patients continual care instead of having them go to pricey emergency rooms or institutions. (Sfondeles, 5/7)
