The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Feb. 22 released a proposed rule implementing the Community First Choice Option under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Under the option, beginning Oct. 1, state Medicaid programs can receive a 6 percentage point increase in federal matching funds to provide home and community-based attendant services for Medicaid-eligible individuals who require the level of services provided in a hospital, nursing facility, Intermediate Care Facilities or Institutions for Mental Disease.
The rule will be published in the Feb. 25 Federal Register, with comments accepted for 60 days. In related news, CMS on Feb. 22 awarded 13 states (including Mississippi) $45 million in grants to establish Money Follows the Person demonstration programs, which help Medicaid beneficiaries move from long-term care to community settings.
Twenty-nine states currently operate MFP programs, which the ACA extended through 2016.
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