Washington State Congressional Delegation Opposes State’s Proposal To Charge Medicaid Beneficiaries Copayments, Premiums

All 11 members of Washington state's congressional delegation have signed a letter to CMS Administrator Tom Scully asking the agency to deny a waiver application by the state that, if approved, would impose copayments and premiums on Medicaid beneficiaries, the Seattle Times reports. "As Washington state works to address its budget shortfall, we believe that the children who need quality care the most should not suffer," the legislators wrote in a May 8 letter, adding, "The waiver application has raised questions about whether or not the safety net for children will be there for low-income families during these hard economic times." Earlier this year, CMS rejected the state's initial waiver application because it "did not include enough detail[s]," the Times reports. State officials, who intend to resubmit the application by July, maintain that the waiver is necessary to give them more flexibility to control rising Medicaid costs. If approved, the waiver would require all Medicaid beneficiaries to pay $5 for each prescription medication not on the state's preferred drug list and $10 for nonemergency care emergency facilities. The waiver also would charge monthly premiums and cap enrollment in optional Medicaid programs that provide care beyond federally required minimums to people with annual incomes above the federal poverty level, about $8,860 for an individual. The letter to Scully also claims that state residents have not been allowed enough time to comment on the proposed changes; state officials over the next six weeks plan to hold several public meetings to "gather feedback" on the waiver (Seattle Times, 5/19).