The Medicaid program is a joint federal and state medical assistance program for certain low-income individuals, including individuals with disabilities. Each state has its own Medicaid plan. Although the federal law requires some uniformity among states' Medicaid plans, each plan is managed by the state's own agency, and services and eligibility criteria vary from state to state. Federal law requires every state Medicaid program to have an appeals procedure. This procedure first requires that whenever the state Medicaid agency makes a decision about eligibility for benefits, a written notice must be sent to the applicant or recipient explaining the decision….
The CMS has approved a waiver that means Arkansas won't put residents eligible for the expansion on traditional Medicaid, but will instead be able to offer them private coverage. Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat leading a deeply conservative state, crafted the option as a way to expand health care coverage without fully signing on to an expanded government program. His administration has been negotiating with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for months over the waiver after the idea received an unexpectedly warm reception from Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Several other states have been…
One of the biggest fears that many people have today is the fear of having their life savings wiped out if they end up in a nursing home. What a shame to see someone’s life savings of 30, 40, or 50 years wiped out in a matter of months. Whether you or a family member is in a crisis or not, it is important that you understand what you can do to protect your hard earned assets! Most of the public does not yet realize that the laws on asset protection and long-term care planning has changed, therefore, it is…
One of the biggest fears that many people have today is the fear of having their life savings wiped out if they end up in a nursing home. What a shame to see someone’s life savings of 30, 40, or 50 years wiped out in a matter of months. Whether you or a family member is in a crisis or not, it is important that you understand what you can do to protect your hard earned assets! Most of the public does not yet realize that the laws on asset protection and long-term care planning has changed, therefore, it is…
When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare and Medicaid into law on July 30, 1965, he stated, “No longer will older Americans be denied the healing miracle of modern medicine. No longer will illness crush and destroy the savings they have so carefully put away over a lifetime so they might enjoy dignity in their later years. No longer will young families see their own incomes, and their own hopes, eaten away simply because they are carrying out their deep moral obligations.” As a result of these two programs, millions of Americans have been able to gain access to the…
Join David Wingate as he presents recent and upcoming changes in the laws and regulations and how this will affect care providers and individuals who require care on a short-term or long-term basis.
CMS summarizes the basic requirements for Medicaid administrative claiming for the state LTCO program. The ombudsman program is partially funded through the Older Americans Act (OAA), however the bulletin draws attention to activities that may qualify for Medicaid administrative funding. In the bulletin, CMS notes that some states are expanding the populations served by the LTCO program to include individuals receiving LTSS in their own homes and the community. The LTCO program activities that may be eligible for Medicaid administrative funding include: · Tracking and reporting consumer requests for assistance in obtaining medical, dental, mental health or long-term care (including…
On May 21, CMS issued a guidance to states using 1115 demonstrations or 1915(b) waivers for managed long term services and supports programs and a summary of managed long-term services and supports programs essential elements. Review the informational bulletin and the two newly released documents.
The Republican-majority Texas House and Senate sent Gov. Rick Perry (R) a proposal to prevent the state from expanding its Medicaid program as outlined by President Barack Obama's health care reform law. Perry, a Republican, notified the Obama administration last summer his state would not expand Medicaid, which provides health care for low-income people. He repeated his opposition in an April news conference at which he called expansion "foolish." The proposal, an amendment to a Medicaid-related bill, says state health officials "may only provide medical assistance to a person who would have been otherwise eligible for medical assistance or for…
Frederick, MD 
301-663-9230
