Feds grant Tennessee some Medicaid flexibility – Nashville Post

The federal government on Tuesday granted Tennessee greater leeway in how it spends its Medicaid dollars, in response to growing demand for health care services related to the spread of COVID-19.

Gov. Bill Lee said he sought waivers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services earlier this month that would give the state the ability to cover uninsured Tennesseans being treated for the viral infection. The Tennessee waiver granted Tuesday allows TennCare to:

• enroll out-of-state health care providers for reimbursement purposes
• enroll physicians who previously did not offer Medicare and Medicaid coverage without conducting a background check
• delay revalidating providers
• pay for services at unlicensed health care facilities.

The exceptions are valid through the end of the declared public health emergency.

Federal authorities are still considering additional waivers, according to a letter from CMS to TennCare.

At his daily press conference on Tuesday, Lee did not address the waiver, which had been issued around the same time as his briefing, but did offer a message to small business owners affected by his “safer at home” order issued Monday.

“This was one of the most difficult decisions that I have made,” he said. “There are resources that are going to be available. We will do everything we can to help you get back on your feet.”

With more testing centers coming online Monday, including two in Nashville, the number of confirmed cases of the disease in the state jumped by the biggest day-over-day total yet, to more than 2,000. There have also been 23 confirmed deaths around the state due to COVID-19.