CMS Letter to State Medicaid Directors: 5-Year Approval or Renewal Period for Certain Medicaid Waivers

November 9, 2010 On November 9, 2010, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) told states that extended, five-year Medicaid waivers were available for demonstration programs that provide managed long-term and acute care services for individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The extended period will only be granted if the state's waiver or demonstration is cost effective and is “consistent with the purposes” of Medicaid and the health reform law. The extended waivers were authorized by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, section 2601, with the goal of helping states simplify the . . .