CMS NEWS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2018
CMS
offers broad support for North Carolina and South Carolina with Hurricane
Florence preparation
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) today announced efforts underway to support North Carolina and
South Carolina in response to Hurricane Florence. Earlier this week, Health
and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar declared public health emergencies
(PHE) in both states. CMS is working to ensure hospitals and other facilities
can continue operations and provide access to care despite the effects of
Hurricane Florence. CMS has waived certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s
Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements; created special enrollment
opportunities for individuals to access healthcare immediately; and taken
steps to ensure dialysis patients obtain critical life-saving services.
“At the direction of President
Trump, CMS is doing everything within its power to provide assistance and
relief to those affected by Hurricane Florence in North Carolina and South
Carolina,” said Seema Verma, CMS Administrator. “We are coordinating with
federal and local officials to make sure that our beneficiaries, many of whom
are some of America’s most vulnerable citizens, have access to the healthcare
they need.”
Below are key administrative
actions CMS has taken in response to the PHEs declared in North Carolina and
South Carolina:
- Waivers
for Hospitals and other Healthcare Facilities: CMS
has temporarily waived or modified certain Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP
requirements. CMS issued a number of blanket waivers, listed on the
website below, and the CMS Regional Offices have granted other
provider-specific requests for
specific types of hospitals and other facilities in North Carolina and
South Carolina. These waivers work to provide continued access to care
for beneficiaries. For more information on the waivers CMS granted,
visit: www.cms.gov/emergency.
- Special
Enrollment Opportunities for Hurricane Victims: CMS
has made available special enrollment periods for all Medicare beneficiaries
and certain individuals seeking health plans offered through the Federal
Health Insurance Exchange. This gives people impacted by the hurricane
the opportunity to change their Medicare health and prescription drug
plans and gain access to health coverage on the Exchange immediately if
eligible for the special enrollment period. For more information on
these special enrollment periods, visit:
- https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Regulations-and-Guidance/Downloads/8-9-natural-disaster-SEP.pdf
- https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/EPRO/Past-Emergencies/Hurricanes-and-tropical-storms.html.
- Disaster
Preparedness Toolkit for State Medicaid Agencies: CMS
developed an inventory of Medicaid and CHIP flexibilities and
authorities available to states in the event of a disaster. For more
information and to access the toolkit, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/state-resource-center/disaster-response-toolkit/index.html.
- Dialysis
Care: CMS is helping patients obtain access to
critical life-saving services. The Kidney Community Emergency Response
(KCER) program has been activated ahead of the storm and is working with
the End Stage Renal Disease Network of the South Atlantic, ESRD NW 6, to
assess the status of dialysis facilities in the potentially impacted
areas related to generators, alternate water supplies, education and materials
for patients, and more. They are also assisting patients who have
evacuated ahead of the storm to receive dialysis services in the
location to which they are evacuating. Patients have been educated to
have an emergency supply kit on hand including important personal,
medical, and insurance information; contact information for their
facility, the ESRD NW hotline number, and contact information of those
with whom they may stay or for out-of-state contacts in a water proof
bag. They have also been instructed to have on hand supplies to follow a
three-day emergency diet. The ESRD NW toll-free hotline is 800-524-7139
and the KCER hotline is 866-901-3773. Additional information is
available on the KCER website www.kcercoalition.com.
- Medical
equipment and supplies replacements: CMS
temporarily suspended certain requirements necessary for Medicare
beneficiaries who have lost or realized damage to their durable medical
equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies as a result of the
hurricane. This will help to make sure that beneficiaries can continue
to access the needed medical equipment and supplies they rely on each
day. Medicare beneficiaries
can contact 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.
- Suspension
of Enforcement Activities: CMS will suspend current
survey and enforcement activities for healthcare facilities in North
Carolina and South Carolina, but will continue to investigate
allegations of immediate threat to patient health and safety.
- Ensuring
Access to Care in Medicare Advantage and Part D.
During a public health emergency, Medicare Advantage Organizations and
Part D Plan sponsors must take steps to maintain access to covered
benefits for beneficiaries in affected areas. These steps include
allowing Part A/B and supplemental Part C plan benefits to be furnished
at specified non-contracted facilities and waiving, in full,
requirements for gatekeeper referrals where applicable.
CMS will continue to work with
all geographic areas impacted by Hurricane Florence. We encourage
beneficiaries and providers of healthcare services that have been impacted to
seek help by visiting CMS’ emergency webpage (www.cms.gov/emergency).
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