Medicaid - COVID 19

Over the last few months, states have made amendments to their Medicaid programs, telehealth laws, workers compensation for healthcare workers, as well as loosening certain licensure requirements and allowing retired licenses to be reactivated to prepare for a surge in COVID-19 patients. Many of these changes are supplemental appropriations and state 1115 and 1135 waiver amendments that effect emergency services on both the professional and facility side we should pay close attention to.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a resource that lists and describes all approved 1135 waivers. You can go to this page and find out more information about the flexibilities that have been granted for your specific state. CMS also has included other toolkits and resources for states here as well as one dedicated to telehealth here. 

Finally, CMS has posted a long list of frequent-asked questions (FAQ) here on topics related to coverage and eligibility, reimbursement, testing, managed care, and information technology.