The American Nurses Association (ANA) is working on several fronts to counter attacks on Medicaid funding and to ensure that nurses are informed about the efforts on Capitol Hill that impact this program which provides essential health care coverage for an estimated 58 million Americans.
On May 12, 2011, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee passed by a vote of 14 to 9 the State Flexibility Act of 2011 (H.R. 1683). The bill, sponsored by Representatives Phil Gingrey, M.D. (R-GA) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), repeals the Medicaid Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements that were first included in the stimulus bill (ARRA) and also within the Affordable Care Act (ACA). H.R. 1683 repeals the stability provisions in Medicaid and CHIP – putting at risk our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.
Here is a wrap-up of recent actions affecting Medicare & Medicaid patients and providers by CMS, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS has many excellent resources – including facts sheets, rules and regulations, and schedules for upcoming calls and public meetings — available on their website, www.cms.gov. CMS is taking a leading role in developing policies to implement the Affordable Care Act, in addition to its continuing responsibilities for administering Medicare programs for seniors and the disabled, as well as the federal portion of state Medicaid programs.
We recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which became law on March 23, 2010. Although the Act is very long and complex, like many federal laws, the details are left up to federal agencies and departments – as well as the States – which must issue rules and other decisions to actually carry out its policies and create its programs. In addition, many ACA provisions build upon, change, or add to federal programs that are already in existence — especially Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP (the Children’s Health Insurance Program). Here is an update on what has been happening in federal agencies and departments, in recent actions to carry out the goals and provisions of ACA. To view ANA comments on these and other regulatory issues, please visit our website at http://www.nursingworld.org/comments.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced February 22nd that states will see significant new federal support in their efforts to help move Medicaid beneficiaries out of institutions and into their own homes or other community settings now and in the near future.
ANA staff was in attendance at the recent annual meeting of the Council of State Governments (CSG) in Providence, Rhode Island. CSG provides an opportunity to interface with all three branches of state government: executive, legislative and judicial, as well as numerous stakeholders resulting in a rich dialogue about hot policy issues. Not surprisingly, several discussions were devoted to implementation of the new health care reform law. A lively debate on the constitutionality of the health insurance mandates as well as a host of other legal challenges still left policy makers with a commitment to move forward with full implementation in 2014 just around the corner.
