Warning that providers could lose billions of dollars in reimbursement, Texas is seeking an emergency 15-month waiver from the CMS that would extend financing for programs designed to cover the unpaid bills of Medicaid-eligible patients who haven’t signed up for the program.
Texas is one of 19 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, and it has the largest pool of uninsured people in the country.
While they haven’t said no yet, federal officials appear to be balking at last November’s request by Texas Medicaid officials to extend its 1115 waiver, which was initially granted in 2011, for an additional five years.
The waiver, which expires in September, provides $4 billion a year for the Texas Healthcare Transformation and Quality Improvement Program, which covers providers’ uncompensated care bills, and its Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment, which encourages providers to adopt innovative programs that raise the quality and cost-effectiveness of care.
