CMS Acts to Help With Hurricane Michael Emergency Response
The
"Our thoughts are with all affected by this monstrous Hurricane," Administrator
Below are key administrative actions CMS is taking in response to the PHE declared in
* Waivers for Hospitals, Healthcare Facilities, and Clinicians: CMS will be temporarily waiving or modifying certain Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP requirements. CMS will be issuing a number of waivers as necessary, which will be listed on the website below, and the CMS Regional Offices will be granting other provider-specific requests for specific types of hospitals and other facilities in
* Special Enrollment Opportunities for Individuals Impacted by the Hurricane: CMS has made special enrollment periods available for certain individuals seeking health plans offered through the Federal Health Insurance Exchange and all Medicare beneficiaries. This gives people impacted by the hurricane the opportunity to gain access to health coverage on the Exchange or change their Medicare health and prescription drug plans immediately if eligible for the special enrollment period. For more information on these special enrollment periods, visit:
* https://www.cms.gov/CCIIO/Resources/Regulations-and-Guidance/Downloads/8-9-natural-disaster-SEP.pdf
* Disaster Preparedness Toolkit for State Medicaid Agencies: CMS developed an inventory of Medicaid and CHIP flexibilities and authorities available to states in the event of a disaster. For more information and to access the toolkit, visit: https://www.medicaid.gov/state-resource-center/disaster-response-toolkit/index.html.
* Dialysis Care: CMS is helping patients obtain access to critical life-saving services. The Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) program has been activated and is working with IPRO End Stage Renal Dialysis Network of the South Atlantic (NW 6) to assess the status of dialysis facilities in the potentially impacted areas related to generators, alternate water supplies, education and materials for patients, and more. They are also assisting patients who have evacuated ahead of the storm to receive dialysis services in the location to which they are evacuating. Patients have been educated to have an emergency supply kit on hand including important personal, medical, and insurance information; contact information for their facility; the ESRD NW hotline number; and contact information of those with whom they may stay or for out-of-state contacts in a water proof bag. They have also been instructed to have on hand supplies to follow a three-day emergency diet. The toll-free hotline for NW 6 is 1-800-524-7139 and the KCER hotline is 866-901-3773. Additional information is available on the NW website at https://network6.esrd.ipro.org/home/provider/patient-services/emergency-updates/ or the KCER website www.kcercoalition.com.
* Medical equipment and supplies replacements: CMS will temporarily suspend certain requirements necessary for Medicare beneficiaries who have lost or sustained damage to their durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies as a result of the hurricane. This will help to make sure that beneficiaries can continue to access the needed medical equipment and supplies they rely on each day. Medicare beneficiaries can contact 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.
* Suspension of Enforcement Activities: CMS will suspend current survey and enforcement activities for healthcare facilities in the affected areas of
* Ensuring Access to Care in Medicare Advantage and Part
CMS will continue to work with all geographic areas impacted by Hurricane Michael. We encourage beneficiaries and providers of healthcare services that have been impacted to seek help by visiting CMS' emergency webpage (www.cms.gov/emergency).
To read previous updates regarding HHS activities related to hurricane response and recovery, visit www.phe.gov/emergency.
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