Press release
CMS NEWS ALERT MARCH 31, 2020
Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to the COVID-19 virus, as part of the ongoing White House Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19, click here www.coronavirus.gov. For information specific to CMS, please visit the CMS News Room and Current Emergencies Website.
CMS Makes Sweeping Regulatory Changes to Help U.S. Healthcare System Address COVID-19 Patient Surge
Yesterday, CMS issued an unprecedented array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American healthcare system with maximum flexibility to respond to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. These temporary changes will apply immediately across the entire U.S. healthcare system for the duration of the emergency declaration. This allows hospitals and health systems to deliver services at other locations to make room for COVID-19 patients needing acute care in their main facility.
COVID-19 Waivers & Flexibilities General Information
CMS Approves Additional State Medicaid Waivers and Amendments to Give States Flexibility to Address Coronavirus Pandemic
CMS recently approved an additional four waiver requests under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act (Act), bringing the total number of approved Medicaid Section 1135 waivers to 38. These waivers were approved within days of states’ submitting them, and support President Trump’s commitment to a COVID-19 response that is locally executed, state managed and federally supported. The states that were approved today are:
- Montana
- Texas
- Vermont
- West Virginia
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