Hot off the presses from Politico today.

State waivers hit snag at CMS

STATES’ MEDICAID INNOVATION STRUGGLE — The Biden administration is struggling to keep up with an influx of requests from states wanting to implement innovative Medicaid expansions, POLITICO’s Kelly Hooper reports.

The process of reviewing requests for the Social Security Act’s Section 1115 waivers — which allow states to roll out experimental projects to better serve Medicaid enrollees — used to average 71 days.

Partly because of staffing challenges at CMS, Medicaid programs wait more than 450 days on average for their applications to be approved, according to the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

The backlog delays care for vulnerable people, state Medicaid directors say. Some of them fear the upcoming presidential election and a potential transition of power in November could further delay or even tank their proposals. Read more.

Or, if you subscribe to Politico Pro, you can read the full story. Medicaid projects take years to get approved amid CMS staffing issues

NAMD Executive Director, Kate McEvoy wrote for Health Affairs Forefront urging action on the topic.

Congress must act to advance innovation in Medicaid

And check out NAMD’s primer on how 1115 waivers work.

Medicaid innovation pathway: How 1115 waivers work