March 6, 2008

New Medicaid Rules Would Limit Care for Children in Foster Care and People With Disabilities in Ways Congress Did Not Intend

On December 4, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services published interim final rules governing case management services provided by state Medicaid programs. CMS claims the new rules are necessary to implement changes Congress made in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA). In fact, the rules go well beyond what Congress intended in the DRA and would have a detrimental impact on beneficiaries, particularly poor children in foster care and poor individuals with physical or mental disabilities or other chronic health conditions.