HHS Again Suspends Disbelief: The Medicaid Program Will Ignore the Greatest Health Threat to Medicaid Beneficiaries

BY DAVID INTROCASO In May the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) simultaneously published two proposed Medicaid rules (here and here) intended to improve moreover access and quality.  Both discussed at length the agency’s commitment to “addressing health equity.”  The first sentence in both identified health equity as a Medicaid program priority.  The proposed “ensuring access” rule stated CMS “takes a comprehensive approach to . . . better addressing health equity issues in the Medicaid program.”  CMS went on to state “we are working to advance health equity by designing, implementing, and operationalizing policies and programs” by “eliminating avoidable differences in health and quality of life outcomes experienced by people who are disadvantaged or underserved.” Nevertheless, CMS’ interest in health equity is entirely performative.  It is impossible to believe the agency is legitimately interested in “eliminating avoidable differences” because leadership is well aware the greatest health equity threat to Medicaid – and Medicare – beneficiaries is the climate crisis.  This is because the most climate vulnerable Americans are Medicaid and Medicare populations.  Yet, the climate crisis is never addressed much less mentioned in either proposed Medicaid rule.  The word “climate” never appears in 291 Federal Register pages.  This is explained by the fact that despite the Biden administration’s “gover...
Source: The Health Care Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Policy Biden Administration Centers for Medicare and Social Services Climate Change David Introcaso Source Type: blogs