ACAP Statement on Final Medicaid Managed Care and Access Regulations

WASHINGTON, April 25 -- The Association for Community Affiliated Plans issued the following statement on April 24, 2024:

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Margaret A. Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), issued the following statement regarding two final regulations issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) surrounding Medicaid managed care and access to Medicaid services:

"ACAP supports efforts to improve Medicaid's transparency, responsiveness, and accountability as a publicly-supported coverage program, as well as initiatives that improve quality, expand access, and address health equity.

"To that end, we applaud the vision CMS lays out in these regulations and stand ready to work with the Administration and state Medicaid agencies toward their implementation.

"However, we urge CMS to continue working closely with stakeholders, including Medicaid health plans, to address the many practical challenges states and plans will face in complying with these regulations.

"We believe that some of the requirements finalized this week are beyond the control of health plans. For example, we're concerned that CMS has finalized wait time standards as initially proposed; under current conditions, plans operating in areas with provider shortages will struggle to comply.

"We particularly support efforts to provide adequate, transparent payments for providers of home- and community-based services; while we support the goal, we believe that responsibility for the demonstration of payment adequacy resides with the states, not plans - we're glad to see that CMS agreed in the final access regulation.

"We will watch carefully how implementation of these regulations unfolds in the coming months and years as Medicaid plans strive to comply, and stand ready to continue our dialogue with CMS to drive toward a Medicaid system that works better for patients - and for all stakeholders."

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About ACAP:

ACAP represents 79 health plans, which collectively provide health coverage to more than 25 million people. Safety Net Health Plans serve their members through Medicaid, Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Marketplace and other publicly sponsored health programs.

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Original text here: https://www.communityplans.net/2024/04/24/17245/