Public comment needed on Medicaid waiver programs

This is an action alert notice from the Coalition for Community Choice (CCC):

PUBLIC COMMENT DEADLINE:

JANUARY 9, 2016 @ 5:00 PM EST

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is the federal entity in charge of funding and regulating all support services for adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. CMS is requesting public comment specifically on waiver programs across the country:  “to accelerate the provision of home and community-based services (HCBS) to Medicaid beneficiaries taking into account issues affecting beneficiary choice and control, program integrity, rate setting, quality infrastructure, and the home care workforce.” 

As individuals navigating and using this complex system, your voices are critical. This is an important opportunity to share information with those who control how the Medicaid system functions. CMS requests concise answers to the following questions: 

• What are the additional reforms that CMS can take to accelerate the progress of access to HCBS and achieve an appropriate balance of HCBS and institutional services in the Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) system to meet the needs and preferences of beneficiaries?
• What actions can CMS take, independently or in partnership with states and stakeholders, to ensure quality of HCBS including beneficiary health and safety?
• What program integrity safeguards should states have in place to ensure beneficiary safety and reduce fraud, waste, and abuse in HCBS?
• What are specific steps CMS could take to strengthen the HCBS home care workforce, including establishing requirements, standards or procedures to ensure rates paid to home care providers are sufficient to attract enough providers to meet service needs of beneficiaries and that wages supported by those rates are sufficient to attract enough qualified home care workers?

To see further questions posed by CMS within the broader questions above, review this section of the document.

HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT: Send your comments electronically (click here) or mail them to this address:

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services, Attention: CMS-2404-NC
P.O. Box 8013
Baltimore, MD 21244-8013

IMPORTANT NOTE: You do not have to answer every question above. Do not spend more than a paragraph describing yourself or your loved one with a disability. Instead, focus on system barriers you have encountered and changes that can improve access to services. Please be aware that all submissions will be publicly available to read. CMS will not answer questions raised during this public comment period but may reach out for clarification of your comment in the future. Directions on how to submit one’s public comment as well as additional information on this request for information can be found here.