CMS Administrator Seema Verma Lays Out Vision and Historic Steps for Medicaid

On November 7, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma shared  her vision for Medicaid and steps she is taking to implement it with the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD). ANCOR CEO Barbara Merrill and Senior Director of Government Relations Esme Grant Grewal heard the announcement live, and wish to bring your attention to the official press release announcing these steps, issued on the same day – click here.

ANCOR is awaiting additional details on these proposals and in the interim wanted to share additional context on Administrator Verma’s approach, which Politico’s Morning E-health newsletter flagged in an excerpt– we have copied it below for your convenience:

“SEEMA SAYS MEDICAID CAN BE A GOLDEN PRISON: CMS Administrator Seema Verma on Tuesday said the Obama administration had practiced “soft bigotry” by expanding Medicaid to “able-bodied adults,” and promised to help more of them “move up, move on and move out” of the program. Medicaid expansion has jeopardized care for more vulnerable enrollees by stretching the safety net, she said. The program, which now covers roughly one in five Americans, has grown since 2014 to cover millions of additional low-income adults, most without children. More by Rachana Pradhan here.”