CMS To Issue New Guidance For COVID-19 Optional Group

CMS plans to develop new guidance to lay out how the year-end spending deal will affect the optional Medicaid coverage of COVID-19 testing, vaccines and treatments for uninsured Americans offered in 15 states and three territories, following Congress’ vote to decouple the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement from the public health emergency. Early in the pandemic, Congress incentivized states to keep Medicaid beneficiaries continuously enrolled during the public health emergency with a 6.2% bump in federal Medicaid matching funds. Lawmakers also...