Washington, DC – Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22) today issued the following statement in response to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recent announcement to remove the proposed Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule (MFAR) from their regulatory agenda:
“Today, I am thrilled to see that CMS Administrator Seema Verma has listened to the concerns of hospitals in Texas & withdrew their proposed Medicaid fiscal accountability rule (MFAR). Our hospital’s rely on this federal funding for Medicaid payments, and this funding is critical to keep our hospitals operating during COVID-19! Thank you to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid and to the Trump Administration for listening to our concerns!”
Background: “In November 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed the Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule to limit states’ ability to draw down federal Medicaid funding, jeopardizing $11 billion in Texas hospitals’ supplemental Medicaid payments in 2020 alone. If finalized, the rule would increase state and local taxes, erode the state’s control the Medicaid program and devastate the state’s health care infrastructure.” https://www.tha.org/mfar