+ Regulatory
Marian Johns | Jan 3, 2018

CMS expands coverage for family-planning services in Mississippi

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) recently approved its first 10-year extension demonstration under Medicaid for Mississippi, a move that will expand coverage for family-planning services in the state. 

The CMS approval will extend eligibility for people age 13 to 44 with income up to 194 percent of the federal poverty level, and who are not receiving Medicaid, Medicare, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) or other health insurance coverage for family-planning services, according to a CMS announcement. The approval also marks the 25th demonstration action by the CMS since January 2017. 

“This is the first ten-year demonstration extension in the history of CMS, and allows Mississippi to administer its Medicaid program without the inconvenience of obtaining routine approvals from CMS,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said in a press release. "This action shows our continuing commitment to giving states the flexibility they deserve to meet the unique needs of their people." 

The recent approval is part of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CMS' commitment to empower states to find solutions to Medicaid's challenges and to improve quality and accessibility, according to the CMS and HHS.

"CMS has responded to state requests to reduce administrative burden," CMS Director and Deputy Administrator Brian Neale said in the release. “Mississippi's waiver shows the concrete steps we are taking to improve efficiency across the board and throughout the country." 

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