Tag Archives: secretary

Everything you have ever wanted to know about Medicaid waivers

We frequently read about state Medicaid programs receiving or being granted “waivers” by CMS, but what does that mean exactly?  What is a “waiver”?  What is the history of Medicaid waivers?  How does the process work?  We hope to answer these questions in this blog post.

The Legal Standard

A “waiver” refers to authority that the Secretary of Health and Human Services possesses under section 1115 of the Social Security Act:

“(a)  In the case of any experimental,… More