In Hint Of Discourse Behind The Scenes, Administration Calls Off Announcement On Lifetime Limits For Medicaid
Kansas has filed a request to impose a three-year limit for recipients, following which they could be dropped from coverage forever. CMS Administrator Seema Verma had planned to announce the agency's decision on Tuesday, but canceled at the last minute.
The Hill:
Trump Officials Abruptly Pull Back From Decision On Medicaid Lifetime Limits
The Trump administration planned to announce Tuesday that it was rejecting Kansas’s request to impose a three-year lifetime limit on Medicaid benefits, but canceled the announcement at the last minute due to internal administration disagreements, sources say. The rejection of Kansas’s request would be significant, in that the Trump administration would be drawing the line against major new restrictions on the health insurance program for the poor. (Sullivan, 5/1)
In other Medicaid news —
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Warns Non-Expansion States To Rethink Medicaid Work Rules
The CMS worries that some will lose coverage if it approves work requirements in states that haven't yet expanded Medicaid. The agency has already approved work requirement waivers in Arkansas, Indiana and Kentucky—all of which expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. The non-expansion states of Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Utah and Wisconsin are also asking to require Medicaid enrollees to be either working or looking for a job. Tennessee and Virginia are also reportedly planning to submit such requests. (Dickson, 5/1)
