CHA Statement on Medicaid Access and Managed Care Final Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) supports the steps the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken in the Medicaid Access and Managed Care final rules to support access to care for children on Medicaid. Through these steps, CMS has recognized the significant role that children’s hospitals play in providing critical care to millions of children covered by Medicaid.  

The following is a statement by Matthew Cook, CEO of CHA:  

“We applaud CMS for implementing the access standards within these final rules, including the appointment wait times and other network adequacy standards and requiring a focus on children specifically. These provisions are critical in ensuring that children covered by Medicaid have access to the services they need in a timely manner. We also appreciate the recognition in the rules of the importance of support for pediatric providers, including children’s hospitals, who care for many children on Medicaid. 

We appreciate CMS’ commitment to improving access to care for children, setting an appropriate limit for state directed payments and delaying enforcement of other Medicaid financing changes. We will work with our members to understand the impact of other changes to state directed payment programs. We look forward to working with CMS to ensure that critical streams of funding continue to support children’s access to needed care.”