HHS and CMS officials have said they still need more information before they can approve or deny $20 million in cuts to Maine's Medicaid program, and Gov. Paul LePage (R) has called the response "at worst, political delay," according to a Bangor Daily News report.
Earlier this year, Maine pitched a plan to CMS to cut $20 million and drop 36,000 people from its Medicaid rolls. Gov. LePage's administration asked CMS to decide on the request by Sept. 1, but CMS technically did not have to give a response until the end of October. Maine later sued the federal government to approve the Medicaid cuts, but the lawsuit was thrown out.
HHS and CMS asked the LePage administration to define its request to cut Medicaid further by Jan. 13. More specifically, the federal government wants clarification on how Maine determines who is eligible for Medicaid and verification the state government has consulted with "tribal health providers before submitting the application for a so-called Medicaid state plan amendment," according to the report.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Gov. LePage said the process has been "at best, government bureaucracy and inefficiency and, at worst, political delay," according to the report. In addition, he said CMS' request for additional information does "not impact the substance of our request and could have been answered with a quick telephone call."
There is no new timetable for when CMS will rule on Maine's Medicaid cuts.
Earlier this year, Maine pitched a plan to CMS to cut $20 million and drop 36,000 people from its Medicaid rolls. Gov. LePage's administration asked CMS to decide on the request by Sept. 1, but CMS technically did not have to give a response until the end of October. Maine later sued the federal government to approve the Medicaid cuts, but the lawsuit was thrown out.
HHS and CMS asked the LePage administration to define its request to cut Medicaid further by Jan. 13. More specifically, the federal government wants clarification on how Maine determines who is eligible for Medicaid and verification the state government has consulted with "tribal health providers before submitting the application for a so-called Medicaid state plan amendment," according to the report.
In a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Gov. LePage said the process has been "at best, government bureaucracy and inefficiency and, at worst, political delay," according to the report. In addition, he said CMS' request for additional information does "not impact the substance of our request and could have been answered with a quick telephone call."
There is no new timetable for when CMS will rule on Maine's Medicaid cuts.
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