Emmer, Minnesota colleagues recommend against proposed changes to Medicaid

U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) joined a bipartisan, bicameral group of home-state lawmakers in urging the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to revise the proposed Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Regulation (MFAR), which they think would negatively impact Minnesotans who rely on Medicaid.

“Current Medicaid rules provide states the flexibility to determine Medicaid benefits and to fund their Medicaid programs in a manner that best meets the particular needs of each state and its Medicaid population,” wrote Rep. Emmer and his Minnesota colleagues in an April 1 letter sent to CMS Administrator Seema Verma.

The November 2019 proposed changes that MFAR would make to the Medicaid program — including changing allowable financing mechanisms, making significant changes to the amount of supplemental payments provided to physicians, and establishing new reporting and approval requirements  — could result in program adjustments that may negatively impact providers and Medicaid patients, according to their letter, which also was signed by U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), among others.

“While we are committed to ensuring financial transparency and the long-term stability of the Medicaid program, we are concerned that many of the proposed changes will negatively impact the state and the care provided to Minnesotans who rely on Medicaid as health care systems in Minnesota confront the coronavirus pandemic,” the lawmakers wrote.

In addition, Rep. Emmer and his colleagues wrote that while they recognize that some of the proposed changes may be intended to ensure transparency and accountability in the Medicaid program, CMS should not move forward until state and national estimates of the proposed rule’s impact on the continued financial viability of state Medicaid programs and patient access to care are completed first.

“We urge CMS to revise the proposed rule and work with Minnesota to ensure that the state maintains flexibility while ensuring appropriate transparency so that there is no disruption to beneficiaries’ access to care at this critical time,” wrote Rep. Emmer and his colleagues.