The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued April 16 a proposed rule that would extend enhanced funding for state Medicaid eligibility and enrollment systems. The enhanced funding will provide states with a 90 percent federal match for system design and development activities and a 75 percent federal match for system maintenance and operations activities. In 2011, in advance of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, CMS finalized this enhanced match through calendar year 2015. This proposed rule would set the enhanced rates indefinitely.
Further, the proposed rule includes updates to standards and conditions that states must achieve to qualify for the enhanced funding. With the proposed changes, the agency aims to have greater interoperability between systems and to help states achieve full modernization of their outdated systems. CMS estimates that states will see savings from this proposed rule as they move toward more modern eligibility and enrollment systems.
Comments are due to CMS June 15. Please contact Beth Feldpush, senior vice president of advocacy and policy, at 202.585.0111 or bfeldpush@essentialhospitals.org with questions.
