Safety Net Plans Seek ‘Hold Harmless’ Policies From CMS

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to shake up the health care system — and disproportionately impact vulnerable patients such as dual eligibles enrolled in Medicare-Medicaid Plans (MMPs) or Special Needs Plans (SNPs) — the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) is calling on CMS to extend a multitude of flexibilities that will allow such plans to access the resources they need to continue serving at-risk members.

These plans “are bearing the brunt of the pandemic specifically because their enrollees are more at risk,” wrote ACAP CEO Margaret Murray in a Sept. 3 letter to Center for Medicare Principal Deputy Administrator and Director Demetrios Kouzoukas. ACAP’s not-for-profit health plans collectively provide coverage to 20 million Medicaid, CHIP, dual-eligible and exchange enrollees, and they enroll more than one-third of the total MMP membership nationwide. “Overall, we are asking CMS to hold MMPs and SNP harmless to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on plan operations,” she wrote, adding that how some changes are applied may vary by geographic region.

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