Applications for Medicaid/CHIP Provider Relief Due July 20

The run-up to the deadline continues while AAHomecare notes that HHS is aware policies could potentially penalize Medicaid-focused suppliers who also served Medicare beneficiaries.

• By David Kopf
• Jul 09, 2020

HME businesses that wish to apply for HHS’s for Medicaid and CHIP providers must submit their applications via the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Portal by July 20.

Last month, HHS earmarked an additional $15 billion from the Provider Relief Fund to eligible Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers.

To qualify for the funding, providers must have directly billed their state Medicaid/CHIP programs or Medicaid managed care plans for healthcare-related services between Jan. 1, 2018 and May 31, 2020. Also, they must not have received payments from the $50 billion Provider Relief Fund General Distribution.

HHS underscored that providers that were eligible for the initial distributions of Medicare-based relief in April are not eligible for this round of Medicaid/CHIP-based relief, even if a provider did not accept payment.

However, the American Association for Homecare reported that HHS had denied any Medicaid relief to some providers because they received small Medicare relief payments. Also, other HME businesses that declined to accept the first tranche of aid were ineligible for any Medicaid-based relief.

The association added that it believed the denials and ineligibilities were an unintended consequence of the relief program’s fast rollout. So AAHomecare contacted the administration about the issue and said it would work with members of Congress to ensure providers are eligible for the relief that reflects their service to beneficiaries under Medicare and Medicaid. 

“As we noted last week, it appears that HHS is at least aware of the potential for this policy to unfairly penalize Medicaid-focused suppliers who also served Medicare beneficiaries,” the association noted in a public statement.