Comments to CMS about Proposed Rule on Medicaid/CHIP Managed Care – due Jan. 14, 2019
On November 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) (proposed rule) to amend the 2016 managed care final rule issued by the Obama administration. As explained in a CMS Fact Sheet, the new proposed rule would give states “more flexibility to set meaningful network adequacy standards using quantitative standards that can take into account new service delivery models like telehealth.” States would also have the authority to define “specialists” “in the most appropriate way for their programs.” Among other objectives, the proposed rule is intended to make it easier for states to transition new services and populations into managed care. See Medicaid Managed Care Proposed Rule Would Give States More Flexibility (National Academy for State Health Policy, 11/20/18). Comments are due January 14, 2019, and can be submitted through Regulations.gov.
HHS Seeks Public Feedback on Modifying HIPAA Privacy Rules – Due Feb. 12
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a Request for Information (RFI) asking the public for comments on how regulations implementing the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) can be improved to “facilitate efficient care coordination and/or case management, and/or promote the transformation to value-based health care,” including rule changes that would encourage providers and other covered entities to share treatment information with parents, loved ones, and caregivers of adults facing health emergencies (with a particular focus on the opioid crisis). Comments are due no later than February 12, 2019. Read the RFI and submit comments.
Medicaid §1115 Waivers – State waiver proposals are subject to both state and federal comment periods. See the “Medicaid waivers” section above for open federal comment periods.
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