Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma penned a Feb. 12 blog post about the proposed Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR).
Throughout the blog post, Verma stresses that MFAR provisions are meant to ensure transparent and lawful use of taxpayer resources to fund Medicaid. Verma provides examples of financing arrangements that, in the agency’s opinion, allow states to receive additional federal matching funds with almost no matching state contribution.
Further, Verma notes that the MFAR responds to numerous recommendations from Congress and oversight agencies — such as the Government Accountability Office — to strengthen CMS oversight of Medicaid supplemental payments.
Verma contends that nothing in the MFAR is meant to reduce Medicaid funding or prohibit states from using supplemental payments.
CMS issued the MFAR on Nov. 18 and comments were due Feb. 1. The agency is reviewing more than 4,000 submitted comments. America’s Essential Hospitals remains concerned the MFAR will limit states’ ability to finance the nonfederal share and urges CMS to withdraw the proposed regulation in its entirety.
Contact Senior Director of Policy Erin O’Malley at eomalley@essentialhospitals.org or 202.585.0127 with questions.