CMS Seeks Information on Medicaid Access to Coverage and Care

The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced it is seeking feedback on topics related to health care access, such as enrolling in and maintaining coverage, access health care services and supports, and ensuring adequate provider payment rates to encourage provider availability and quality. According to CMS, the request for information (RFI) is one of many actions CMS is taking to develop a more comprehensive access strategy in Medicaid and CHIP Programs.

Feedback obtained from CMS’ RFI will aid in CMS’ understanding of enrollees’ barriers to enrolling in and maintaining coverage and accessing needed services and support through Medicaid and CHIP. The information will help inform future policies, monitoring, and regulatory actions, helping ensure beneficiaries have equitable access to high-quality and appropriate care across payment and delivery systems, including fee-for-service, managed care, and alternative payment methods.

The RFI seeks feedback from a diverse set of stakeholders on a broad set of topics from ensuring adequate payment rates to encouraging provider availability and quality, to culturally and linguistically competent care and reducing gaps in health care coverage. The RFI is open for a 60-day public comment period beginning February 17, 2022.

Additional information is available here.