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Medicaid Waiver Comments Sought

Crain’s Health Pulse, May 3, 2012

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The public comment period is open for the state Department of Health’s proposed demonstration plan known as People First. Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson submitted the waiver application to CMS in October. It seeks to overhaul the state’s current system for providing services to some 97,000 developmentally disabled ����������ers enrolled in Medicaid, a number that includes those who are also eligible for Medicare. At a CMS website the agency calls CMS Idea Factory, the official comment period opened April 27 and will continue through May 27, when CMS will decide whether to grant ���������� a waiver. The full 76-page waiver request document is also on the site, along with similar proposals from other states seeking Medicaid waivers. To comment or for more information, go to .

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Section 1115 Demonstrations: NY People First

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The��CMS��Idea Factory is the tool by which��CMS��is gathering public comments on pending Section 1115 demonstrations. Please see the instructions below regarding how you can post a comment regarding a pending Section 1115 demonstration.

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Section 1115 demonstrations, which enable states to test coverage and delivery system approaches in Medicaid and CHIP, have a significant and varied impact on Medicaid and��CHIP��beneficiaries, providers, States, Tribes, and local governments. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) values public input during the demonstration application Federal review process and has provided a platform for public submission of comments. Listed below is a description of the process and timelines for the Federal public comment process. For more specifics, please see the ��or��.

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Once a State’s 30-day public comment period has ended, the State will submit an application to��CMS. Within 15 days of receipt of the application,��CMS��determines whether the application is complete and will notify the State. If��CMS determines that the application is complete,��CMS��will send the State written notice informing the State of receipt of the complete application, the date on which the Secretary received the application, and the start date of the 30-day Federal public notice period. If��CMS��determines that the application is not complete,��CMS��will notify the State of any missing elements in the application.

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Each pending demonstration has a 30-day Federal open public comment period for the general public and stakeholders to submit comments.��CMS��will not act on the demonstration request until 15 days, at a minimum, after the conclusion of the public comment period.��CMS��will continue to accept comments beyond the 30-day period; however, CMS��cannot guarantee that comments received after the 30-day comment period will be considered due to the need for a timely Federal response. Therefore,��CMS��strongly encourages comments to be submitted within the 30-day Federal comment period.

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To use this forum

1. Review comments that have already been posted by searching or browsing.
2. Concur with an existing comment by using the “Voting Function” to indicate your agreement

   with it. Alternatively, type a new comment and select a category for your comments. You have

   up to 10 concurrences (votes) that you can use to show that you concur with specific

   comments. You can use one concurrence at a time or you can use multiple concurrences for

   one comment.��CMS��does not measure public input or make decisions based on the number of

   comments or concurrences made, but your concurrence through voting helps inform our review

   of demonstration applications.You can use the additional space provided to describe your

   comments in more detail. There is a 5,000 character limit.

3. Enter your email address to sign in or sign up for an account.

Please note that��CMS��will review all comments, but the number of concurrences will not determine CMS’s policy. This is a moderated forum, and comments will not be posted immediately.

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About the ���������� People First

According to information provided by the State, the State proposes to develop and implement creative service delivery and payment models that integrate acute and long-term care to achieve improved health outcomes and quality of care while lowering health care costs for the developmentally disabled (DD) population. The target population for the People First Waiver is the 100,000 ����������ers who are enrolled in Medicaid (via six different 1915 waivers) and have substantial developmental disabilities.

Status:��Pending Request for a New Demonstration, Open for public comment
Public Comment Period:��April 27, 2012 May 27, 2012
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Please submit your comments

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