The House of Representatives March 25 passed by voice vote The Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019 (H.R. 1839). The package includes an extension of three Medicaid programs and the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act (ACE Kids Act, H.R. 1226, S. 317).
The AAMC joined a March 25 letter in support of the ACE Kids Act. The letter thanks the bill’s sponsors— Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.), and Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) – and notes that the bill “is an important step in fixing the current fragmented system for children with complex medical conditions, ensuring ready access to care and reducing the burden on their families.”
The package also extends funding for three Medicaid programs: Money Follows the Person, which provides resources to state Medicaid programs to help transition individuals with chronic conditions back into their communities; a program to let married couples protect certain assets while seeking Medicaid coverage for home and community-based services; and a pilot program for community mental health centers.
The House passed a similar package at the end of the 115th Congress but it stalled in the Senate [see Washington Highlights, Dec. 14, 2018].