PCC submits comment letter to CMS regarding access to care and coverage in Medicaid and CHIP

On April 18, 2022, PCC submitted a letter to CMS regarding a request for information on access to care and coverage for people enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

The Primary Care Collaborative (PCC) appreciates this opportunity to provide comments in response to CMS’s Request for Information on Access to Care and Coverage for People Enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. PCC applauds CMS for pursuing Medicaid and CHIP rulemaking to enhance coverage, expand access to care, and improve availability and quality of primary care practices and health care providers.

PCC provides detailed responses to the specific questions included in the RFI. To summarize, PCC recommends that CMS:

• Prioritize adoption of twelve-month continuous coverage for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries and to limit eligibility redeterminations;
• Consider access to and investment in primary care in development of any future minimum standards;
• Promote evidence-based models of primary care-behavioral health integration;
• Issue comprehensive guidance to states on payment for evidence-based community health worker services;
• Work with states to remove reimbursement barriers to the delivery of telemental health services to Medicaid beneficiaries by primary care practices; and
• Require higher-quality data collection and reporting from states regarding race/ethnicity data and other demographic data.