The AAMC joined other hospital associations and health care organizations in a letter urging Congress to enhance federal financing for the Medicaid program.
The letter, sent to House and Senate leadership on June 2, calls on Congress to increase the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) to states by at least 12 percentage points, with additional support for those states hardest hit by the economic downturn related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (P.L. 116-127) included a temporary 6.2 percentage point increase to states’ FMAP to allow states and providers to continue serving patients who rely on Medicaid [see Washington Highlights, March 20]. The letter states that the increase “was a positive first step, but it is increasingly clear that it will not be sufficient to avoid significant budget cuts during a time when Medicaid is vitally important to the COVID-19 response.”
The letter calls on Congress to extend the increase “until states’ economic recovery is secure and stable, consistent with the requests outlined by the bipartisan National Governors Association.”