ARTICLE
Yesterday, Governor Holcomb signed an executive order that extended the public health emergency through March 1, 2021. Additionally, Bradley Associates shared the below update regarding the extension of the federal public health emergency and its impact on the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). It appears the Biden administration is setting the stage to extend the Public Health Emergency through the end of the year. The attached letter was sent by HHS to the governor of each state that changes how the deadline will be determined. Instead of renewing on a quarterly basis, it states: To assure you of our commitment to the ongoing response, we have determined that the PHE will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021, and when a decision is made to terminate the declaration or let it expire, HHS will provide states with 60 days’ notice prior to termination. This is important for any number of reasons including Medicare waivers (telehealth, 3 day prior hospitalization, etc.) and potentially extending various state Medicaid waivers. Perhaps most importantly for state budgets, it provides some certainty relative to enhanced FMAP as it states: Additionally, the available temporary 6.2 percentage point increase in the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Pub. L. 116-127) expires at the end of the quarter in which the PHE ends. With the extension and additional advance notice, we seek to provide you with increased budgetary stability and predictability during this challenging time.
Yesterday, Governor Holcomb signed an executive order that extended the public health emergency through March 1, 2021. Additionally, Bradley Associates shared the below update regarding the extension of the federal public health emergency and its impact on the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP).
It appears the Biden administration is setting the stage to extend the Public Health Emergency through the end of the year. The attached letter was sent by HHS to the governor of each state that changes how the deadline will be determined. Instead of renewing on a quarterly basis, it states:
To assure you of our commitment to the ongoing response, we have determined that the PHE will likely remain in place for the entirety of 2021, and when a decision is made to terminate the declaration or let it expire, HHS will provide states with 60 days’ notice prior to termination.
This is important for any number of reasons including Medicare waivers (telehealth, 3 day prior hospitalization, etc.) and potentially extending various state Medicaid waivers. Perhaps most importantly for state budgets, it provides some certainty relative to enhanced FMAP as it states:
Additionally, the available temporary 6.2 percentage point increase in the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (Pub. L. 116-127) expires at the end of the quarter in which the PHE ends. With the extension and additional advance notice, we seek to provide you with increased budgetary stability and predictability during this challenging time.