黑料正能量 Note: 黑料正能量鈥檚 proposal to restore Medicaid benefits 30 days before release from prisons and jails for those with more serious behavioral health and some health needs has been temporarily withdrawn, a first 鈥榯emporary鈥 casualty of the great uncertainty caused GOP proposals to move to state block grants.
While NY鈥檚 DSRIP proposal remains safe due to agreements with the federal Medicaid agency (CMS) that were reached in the waning days of the Obama Administration, a lot else remains up in the air. Accordingly, NY is very cautious about opening up further negotiations with CMS that might lead to undesired changes at this time.
Getting the Administration and Legislature to authorize NY to make that request was one of our top priories last year and, as a result, 黑料正能量 has been assured that, as things do become clearer, NY plans to re-submit the proposal to restart Medicaid coverage before release from the correctional facilities.
On a positive note, CMS has extended Medicaid benefits to parolees and probationers.
State Withdraws Request for Medicaid Coverage for Prisoners, Funding for HIV
By Josefa Velasquez Politico January 27, 2017
ALBANY 鈥 Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has withdrawn its request to the federal government to provide Medicaid coverage for prison inmates and another request focused on 黑料正能量鈥檚 effort to place newly diagnosed HIV patients on treatment.
With the looming threat of cuts to Medicaid from Washington, the state鈥檚 Department of Health said on Thursday evening that the state has 鈥渢emporarily withdrawn鈥 the waiver amendments and 鈥渨ill consider advancing them in the future.鈥
“We want to allow time for the state to have conversations with the new administration and to see where we may align on these issues,鈥 the DOH said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Tom Price, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, and House Speaker Paul Ryan favor Medicaid block grants, which would mean the states would receive a set amount of money to pay for the Medicaid program. Block grant programs typically don’t have waivers.
In April, Cuomo announced that the state would seek a federal waiver from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to Under the waiver, Inmates would have been enrolled in Medicaid 30 days before their release and have health coverage as they return home.
The announcement from the Cuomo administration, which mirrored a proposal put forth by the Democratic-dominated Assembly, issued guidance to doctors stating that people on parole, probation or in-home confinement are not to be considered as incarcerated individuals and therefore can receive Medicaid benefits if they are eligible, opening up coverage for nearly 100,000 people.
The Cuomo administration had also asked CMS to authorize federal Medicaid matching funds to advance the governor鈥檚 initiative to end the AIDS epidemic by 2020.
the amendment to its Partnership Plan Waiver could have brought in $45 million in federal funds for programs that would have provided access to testing, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
In December, the Cuomo administration, giving health policy makers solace that the state’s $7.3 billion Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment program couldn’t be upended by the new administration.