On Wednesday, March 25, the National Coalition on Health Care distributed a memo to summarize the provisions included in the 500+ pages of legislative text of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, H.R. 748. The memo outlines the scope and intent of this important legislation. Unfortunately, many of the Coalition’s top priorities have been left for later action by the Congress – these are also highlighted in the memo.
UPDATE: between the release of the NCHC memo and the final text, a change was made to a section amending the Families First Coronavirus Response Act provision on Medicaid FMAP bump during public health emergencies. Please see the correction below:
Delaying Requirements for Enhanced FMAP to enable State Legislation Necessary for compliance: The bill gives states 30 days to decrease relevant Medicaid premiums to come into compliance with the relevant requirements found in the Families First Coronavirus package in order to receive a 6.2% FMAP increase. Unlike earlier versions of the CARES package, this section no longer makes any changes to the maintenance of effort requirements found in the Families First Act.