Medicaid

CMS is taking nominations to fill three open seats on the Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education (APOE), which makes recommendations to HHS and CMS on how to improve consumer education for the insurance exchanges, Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP. The agency will take submissions through June 11.

The Senate voted 51 to 48 Wednesday (May 12) to advance the nomination of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure for CMS administrator after Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made a motion to discharge her nomination from the Finance Committee, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) joining Democrats to vote in favor of the motion.

CMS on Tuesday (May 11) released an interim final rule that requires long term care facilities and intermediate care facilities treating those with intellectual disabilities to submit weekly reports on the COVID-19 vaccination status of residents and staff, and to educate those individuals about the vaccine and offer shots when supplies are available.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities released a report Thursday (May 6) outlining two viable options the Biden administration could seek legislatively to close the coverage gap in states that have yet to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act -- create a federalized Medicaid program under the ACA or offer people in the gap fully subsidized coverage through the marketplace.

CMS is encouraging stakeholders to provide feedback on the White House Office of Management and Budget’s request for information on ways to improve equity and support underserved communities.

Long term care hospitals are pleased to see a provision in CMS’ fiscal 2022 proposed inpatient hospital pay rule that would require state Medicaid programs allow all Medicare providers to enroll in Medicaid, so long as they meet that program’s federal requirements.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) has not lifted his hold on a floor vote on CMS Administrator-nominee Chiquita Brooks-LaSure’s nomination, an aide to the senator tells Inside Health Policy, as the Biden administration now faces pressure from the GOP Texas delegation to restore the Trump-era's 10-year extension of the state’s 1115 Medicaid waiver.

The American Rescue Plan’s incentives for states to adopt Medicaid expansion could lead to roughly $21.1 billion in additional federal dollars among the 14 states that haven’t yet implemented expansion, and could fully offset state expansion costs expansion for up to six-and-a-half years in some of the states, according to a Manatt Health analysis published in April.

Missouri's governor can direct the state to move ahead with Medicaid expansion or activist groups could take the state to court in an effort to get expansion implemented, stakeholders said after the state legislature failed to appropriate funds for the measure in the state’s budget Wednesday night (April 28).