Implementation: Advocates' To Do List
Medicaid and CHIP Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Requirements
(Section 2001(b) of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Amends Section 1902 of the Social Security Act)
Effective upon enactment, health reform requires states to maintain eligibility and enrollment policies for Medicaid and CHIP as a condition of receiving federal funding for Medicaid. States cannot reduce income eligibility levels or implement enrollment policies that make it harder to enroll in coverage than it was as of March 23, 2010 (the date health reform was enacted). This includes, but is not limited to, frequency of redeterminations, paperwork and documentation required for application, uninsured waiting periods, and premiums or enrollment fees. This requirement remains in effect for adult Medicaid coverage until state exchanges are fully operational and for children’s Medicaid and CHIP coverage until October 1, 2019. The Secretary of HHS can grant states that experience budget shortfalls during calendar years 2011–2013 an exemption from the MOE for non-pregnant, non-disabled adults with income greater than 133 percent of poverty.
To do:
- Ensure your state legislature is not considering cuts that would violate the MOE.
- Push for extended fiscal relief for Medicaid (Congress is considering a six month extension of the FMAP increase that is currently set to expire at the end of this calendar year).
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