CMS Extends Regs Allowing Medicaid Plans to Assist Renewals

CMS on May 9 extended through June 2025 waivers meant to help states and Medicaid managed care organizations navigate the unwinding of COVID-19 pandemic-related eligibility rules. The waivers, which include provisions allowing MCOs to reach out to members about redeterminations and help members complete eligibility paperwork, were originally set to expire in January 2025.

The extension of the waivers — specifically, 1902 (e)(14) waivers — could help MCOs leave behind the upheaval caused by the return of eligibility redeterminations, which resumed in spring 2023 after a multiyear pause tied to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The crush load of eligibility checks has been difficult for states to manage. Many states disenrolled eligible Medicaid beneficiaries for administrative reasons, typically because the beneficiary made an error in their eligibility check or didn’t return paperwork in time to meet a redetermination deadline. The chaos, which was the subject of mutual recrimination between states and CMS, has caused no shortage of headaches for MCOs.