In this letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Seema Verma, MACPAC comments on CMS’s proposed changes to Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care regulations.
The Commission reiterates the importance of information on provider-level payments and suggests that to the extent the final rule allows states additional flexibility in making directed or pass-through payments to providers, CMS should ensure that provider-level data on those payments is collected and made available to the public. The Commission also stresses the importance of public engagement in developing and reviewing any changes to managed care network adequacy standards. Finally, MACPAC offers two data sources for CMS to consider as it evaluates its in-lieu-of payment policy for services provided in institutions for mental diseases.