Source CMS.gov
In certain circumstances, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) using section 1135 of the Social Security Act (SSA) can temporarily modify or waive certain Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, or HIPAA requirements, called 1135 waivers. There are different kinds of 1135 waivers, including Medicare blanket waivers. When there’s an emergency, sections 1135 or 1812(f) of the SSA allow us to issue blanket waivers to help beneficiaries access care. When a blanket waiver is issued, providers don’t have to apply for an individual 1135 waiver. When there’s an emergency, we can also offer health care providers other flexibilities to make sure Americans continue to have access to the health care they need.
Update regarding intent to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations and extensions by way of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) for Fiscal Year 2023
Update: On Thursday, December 29, 2022, President Biden signed into law H.R. 2716, the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) for Fiscal Year 2023. This legislation provides more than $1.7 trillion to fund various aspects of the federal government, including an extension of the major telehealth waivers and the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCaH) individual waiver that were initiated during the federal public health emergency (PHE).
Additionally, on January 30, 2023, the Biden Administration announced its intent to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations on May 11, 2023, related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
CMS is committed to updating supporting resources and providing updates as soon as possible. Please continue to use the provider-specific fact sheets for information about COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) waivers and flexibilities.
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