Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) are the percentage rates used to determine the matching funds rate allocated annually to certain medical and social service programs in the United States of America. FMAP-eligible programs are joint federal-state partnerships between the federal government of the United States and state governments, which are administered by the states. [1] [2] Thus, FMAP is an example of administration of federal assistance in the United States. The percentages given are the share of the total cost that the federal government will pay, the rest being covered by the state. For example, 100% FMAP for some eligible service means that the federal government pays the entire cost and 50% FMAP would mean that the cost is split evenly between the state and federal government.
Funds that are eligible for FMAP match include Medicaid, State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) expenditures, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Contingency Funds, the Federal share of Child Support Enforcement collections, and Child Care Mandatory and Matching Funds of the Child Care and Development Fund. [3]
State governments use FMAP percentages to determine the federal government's contribution to specific state administered programs and assess their related budgetary outlays. For example, the general 2006-2007 FMAP rate for California was 50% meaning that for every dollar that California contributed to an eligible social or medical program between 2006 and 2007, the federal government also contributed one dollar. [4]
Within Medicaid, the FMAP can vary. For example, the FMAP for administrative activities is between 50 and 100%. [5] For provider payments, certain populations, programs, and services have enhanced FMAPs, such as the Children's Health Insurance Program, individuals enrolled in Medicaid Expansion, and certain women with breast or cervical cancer. [6]
Pursuant to Section 1905(b) of the Social Security Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services calculates the Federal Medical Assistance Percentages each year. This calculation is based upon a formula which compares individual state income to the continental United States income in order to determine ratios the federal government will utilize in assisting each state under the Act. This section also provides that no state's ratio will go lower than 50% or higher than 83%.
The guidelines for calculating the FMAP are outlined in the Social Security Act and they exclusively determine the ratio of matching funds for each state's Medicaid program. Section 2105(b)of the Act stipulate that "Enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentages," or Enhanced FMAPs, will be calculated at the same time as the FMAPs. Enhanced FMAPs provide ratios for states to follow in funding their State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP.
In the United States, Medicaid is a government program that provides health insurance for adults and children with limited income and resources. The program is partially funded and primarily managed by state governments, which also have wide latitude in determining eligibility and benefits, but the federal government sets baseline standards for state Medicaid programs and provides a significant portion of their funding.
Medicare is a federal health insurance program in the United States for people age 65 or older and younger people with disabilities, including those with end stage renal disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It was begun in 1965 under the Social Security Administration and is now administered by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
The Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – formerly known as the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) – is a program administered by the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides matching funds to states for health insurance to families with children. The program was designed to cover uninsured children in families with incomes that are modest but too high to qualify for Medicaid. The program was passed into law as part of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, and the statutory authority for CHIP is under title XXI of the Social Security Act.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is a federal assistance program of the United States. It began on July 1, 1997, and succeeded the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program, providing cash assistance to indigent American families through the United States Department of Health and Human Services. TANF is often regarded as just "welfare", but some argue this is a misnomer. Unlike AFDC, which provided a guaranteed cash benefit to eligible families, TANF is a block grant to states that creates no federal entitlement to welfare and is used by states to provide non-welfare services, including educational services, to employed people.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) is a United States federal law passed by the 104th United States Congress and signed into law by President Bill Clinton. The bill implemented major changes to U.S. social welfare policy, replacing the Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program.
The California Medical Assistance Program is the California implementation of the federal Medicaid program serving low-income individuals, including families, seniors, persons with disabilities, children in foster care, pregnant women, and childless adults with incomes below 138% of federal poverty level. Benefits include ambulatory patient services, emergency services, hospitalization, maternity and newborn care, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, dental (Denti-Cal), vision, and long-term care and support. Medi-Cal was created in 1965 by the California Medical Assistance Program a few months after the national legislation was passed. Approximately 15.28 million people were enrolled in Medi-Cal as of September 2022, or about 40% of California's population; in most counties, more than half of eligible residents were enrolled as of 2020.
The United States government provides funding to hospitals that treat indigent patients through the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) programs, under which facilities are able to receive at least partial compensation.
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AIDS Drug Assistance Programs are a set of programs in all 50-states in the United States that provide Food and Drug Administration-approved HIV treatment drugs to low income patients in the U.S.
Amerigroup is an American health insurance and managed health care provider. Amerigroup covers 7.7 million seniors, people with disabilities, low-income families and other state and federally sponsored beneficiaries, and federal employees in 26 states, making it the nation's largest provider of health care for public programs. In July 2023, it was announced that Amerigroup's name would change to Wellpoint in six states beginning in January 2024.
In the United States, the federal and state social programs including cash assistance, health insurance, food assistance, housing subsidies, energy and utilities subsidies, and education and childcare assistance. Similar benefits are sometimes provided by the private sector either through policy mandates or on a voluntary basis. Employer-sponsored health insurance is an example of this.
The Empowering Patients First Act is legislation sponsored by Rep. Tom Price, first introduced as H.R. 3400 in the 111th Congress. The bill was initially intended to be a Republican alternative to the America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009, but has since been positioned as a potential replacement to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). The bill was introduced in the 112th Congress as H.R. 3000, and in the 113th Congress as H.R. 2300. As of October 2014, the bill has 58 cosponsors. An identical version of the bill has been introduced in the Senate by Senator John McCain as S. 1851.
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The Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) is a United States government office responsible for overseeing the U.S. child support program. Child support is the obligation on parents to provide financial support for their children. OCSS was established with the Federal Government’s enactment of Child Support Enforcement and Paternity Establishment Program (CSE) in 1975, which was enacted to reduce welfare expenses by collecting child support from non-custodial parents.
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