Maryland HealthChoice §1115 Waiver Renewal
To download and review a copy of the 2013 HealthChoice §1115 Waiver Renewal Application, please click the following links:
The Department will be collecting additional written comments related to the §1115 Waiver Application and the requested waiver authorities linked above from Tuesday, August 27, 2013 to Friday, September 27, 2013. Please send comments via the following methods:
First-Class Mail
Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
201 West Preston Street, Room 224
Baltimore, MD 21201
ATTN: Tricia Roddy, Director, Planning Administration
Email
Please email written comments to tricia.roddy@maryland.gov. Address comments to Tricia Roddy, Director, Planning Administration.
About the HealthChoice §1115 Waiver Renewal Application
HealthChoice is Maryland's statewide mandatory Medicaid managed care program. The 2013 submission of the §1115 Waiver Renewal Application marks the fourth renewal since 1997, when the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) first implemented the HealthChoice program. DHMH submitted previous renewals in 2005, 2007, and 2010. The 2013 renewal application primarily focuses on changes to Maryland Medicaid required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and is organized into the following sections:
- Recent changes to the waiver (pgs. 1-3),
- Special initiatives in the next renewal period (pgs. 3-7),
- Requested changes in the next renewal period (pgs. 7-9),
- A list and description of the requested waiver and expenditure authorities (pgs. 10-12),
- A description of the public input process (pgs. 12-13), and
- An evaluation report of the demonstration from calendar years 2007 to 2011 (pgs. 14-73).
A significant change resulting from the implementation of the ACA stems from Maryland's ability to extend full Medicaid coverage to individuals with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. DHMH anticipates the result of this provision will result in approximately 108,000 new individuals receiving health care coverage through Medicaid and the new health benefits exchange (the Exchange) in fiscal year 2014. In this renewal, DHMH is requesting the extension of full Medicaid benefits under HealthChoice to childless adults under the age of 65. This population traditionally would be eligible for a limited benefit package in the Primary Adult Care (PAC) program. Because current and future participants in PAC will be eligible for full Medicaid benefits as a result of the ACA, DHMH plans to shift these individuals into HealthChoice and cease operation of PAC, effective January 1, 2014. The Department estimates approximately 88,000 of new enrollees into Medicaid will originate from the PAC expansion.
Public Hearings
Two public hearings were held in Baltimore City and Annapolis to discuss the content of the HealthChoice §1115 Waiver Renewal Application and solicit feedback and input from public stakeholders. Information and comments collected from the meetings are appended to the Application linked above.
Public Comments
Written comments concerning the HealthChoice §1115 Waiver Renewal Application were collected via publication in the Maryland Register and solicitation via this webpage from April 23, 2013 - June 3, 2013. The comments collected during that period are addressed in the Application linked above.
To view information on Maryland's current waivers filed with CMS, please visit Medicaid.gov.