Following the lead of President Trump's disaster declaration for
Louisiana, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, M.D., today declared
a public health emergency in Louisiana in response to Hurricane
Harvey. In addition, he has taken action that gives HHS’ Centers for Medicare
& Medicaid Services’ (CMS) beneficiaries and their health care providers
greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs.
“As Louisiana and Texas contend with the historic flooding
caused by Hurricane Harvey, HHS is committed to doing all that we can to ensure
that those affected by this storm receive the vital assistance and support they
need,” said Secretary Price. “The people of Louisiana who rely on Medicare,
Medicaid, and CHIP for their healthcare needs can be confident that this
declaration will allow their care to continue despite the toll this disaster
has taken in their communities.”
Many CMS beneficiaries have evacuated to neighboring communities
where receiving hospitals and nursing homes may have no health care records,
information on current health status or even verification of the person’s
status as a Medicare beneficiary. Due to the emergency declaration and other
actions taken by HHS, CMS is able to waive certain documentation requirements
to help ensure facilities can deliver care.
In addition to increasing the flexibility in providing
assistance for CMS beneficiaries, HHS has deployed approximately 550 personnel
to affected areas to help state and local authorities respond to communities’
medical needs, and additional staff is on standby to assist.
Today’s declaration of a public health emergency for Louisiana
follows a similar emergency declaration for Texas that Secretary Price signed
on Saturday to help residents affected by Hurricane Harvey. Secretary Price
acted under his authority in the Public Health Service Act and Social Security
Act.
These actions and flexibilities are effective retroactively to
August 27, 2017.
Public health and safety information for Hurricane Harvey can be
found at: https://www.hhs.gov/hurricane-harvey
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