Alliance Statement on MACPAC Report
Alexandria and Washington, D.C. – On Thursday, March 13th, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released its semi-annual report, which included three chapters and five recommendations. (See analysis from the National Alliance for Care at Home HERE and HERE.)
Two recommendations in the MACPAC report concern home and community-based services (HCBS):
- Guidance regarding provisional plans of care to expedite delivery of HCBS,
- A recommendation to extend the approval periods of renewals for 1915(c) & 1915(i) to 10 years.
The Alliance appreciates these recommendations, and we broadly support both. However, the Alliance is concerned that these recommendations are not sufficient to ensure that the Medicaid program truly fulfils the promise of the Olmstead Supreme Court decision and provides care in the most integrated settings appropriate to the needs and preferences of individuals.
Instead of incremental changes such as these, the Alliance recommends restructuring the various HCBS authorities within the Medicaid program into a single statutory provision. This would include:
- Establishing HCBS as a mandatory service without limits on the number of individuals in the program;
- A single streamlined benefit package with a core set of mandatory services and the option to include additional services;
- Federal minimum standards of quality and access regardless of whether the state uses fee-for-service or managed care;
- A period of presumptive financial and functional eligibility for individuals at risk of hospitalization or nursing home placement to expedite the delivery of care; and
- Increased requirements on states to ensure access to care so that there are available providers for individuals to quickly access services in the community.
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Press Contacts
- communications@allianceforcareathome.org
- Tom Threlkeld | 202-547-7424
- Elyssa Katz | 571-281-0220
About the National Alliance for Care at Home
The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) is a new national organization representing providers of home care, home health, hospice, palliative care, and other health care services mainly delivered in the home. The Alliance brings together two organizations with nearly 90 years of combined experience: NAHC and NHPCO. NAHC and NHPCO have combined operations to better serve members and lead into the future of care offered in the home. Learn more at www.AllianceForCareAtHome.org.
