National Health Law Program Comments to HHS on Maine’s HIV/AIDS Waiver Project

Executive Summary

National Health Law Program in comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services urges the agency to reject portions of Maine’s Sec. 1115 Medicaid waiver plan called “Health Care Reform Demonstration for Individuals with HIV/AIDS,” because they run afoul of the HHS Secretary’s authority to waive certain requirements of Medicaid. Maine’s waiver project, as National Health Law Program notes in its comments, seeks to limit the scope of Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT), and to continue using an outdated measure for monitoring the effectiveness of HIV care. Regarding the Maine Medicaid waiver’s attempt to limit EPSDT, National Health Law Program states in its comments, “Children living with HIV/AIDS are highly vulnerable and can have complex medical needs, imposing arbitrary limits on Medicaid services prevents these children from obtaining necessary care and is contrary to federal law.”