Today,
in keeping with its commitment to ensure states have the necessary tools to
respond to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Centers for
Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approved an additional seven state
Medicaid waiver requests under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act
(Act), bringing the total number of approved Section 1135 waivers for
states to twenty three. The waivers were approved within days of states’
submitting them, with average approval time taking less than seven calendar
days. The waivers offer states new flexibilities to focus their resources
on combatting the outbreak and providing the best possible care to their
Medicaid beneficiaries. These waivers support President Trump’s commitment
to operating a COVID-19 response that is locally executed, state managed
and federally supported. All Section 1135 approval letters will be
posted here as they are issued.
CMS
approved waivers for the following states today:
- Kentucky
- Rhode Island
- Iowa
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Missouri
- Oregon
CMS
provides guidance to states on how to apply for Section 1135 waivers
through the Medicaid Disaster Response Tool Kit, which can be found here. To further the agency’s efforts, CMS has
developed checklists
and tools to expedite requests and approvals for waivers and other
commonly requested flexibilities. CMS will continue to expeditiously
review and approve, as appropriate, all Section 1135 waivers and other
requests that the agency receives to ensure that we are providing our state
partners with the maximum flexibility they need to care for their Medicaid
beneficiaries during the public health emergency.
These
waivers, and earlier CMS actions in response to COVID-19, are part of the
ongoing White House Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work
the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19, visit www.coronavirus.gov.
For a complete and updated list of CMS actions, and other information
specific to CMS, please visit the Current
Emergencies Website. Additionally, CMS has launched a
dedicated, Medicaid.gov,
COVID-19 resource page that will be continually updated with
relevant information.
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