January 7, 2011
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Department of Health and Human Services
Attention: CMS-2346-P

The undersigned organizations strongly support the proposed rule on providing enhanced matching funds for Medicaid eligibility systems. It is long past time for the federal government to provide enhanced support state efforts to modernize their eligibility systems and bring them into the 21st century so that they can provide cost-effective, accurate, reliable and beneficiary-friendly assessments of eligibility for this vital program. Even without the Affordable Care Act, the additional federal investment in eligibility systems would have been warranted by the major changes that have occurred in both computer technology and Medicaid eligibility procedures over the past 20 years. In light of passage of the Affordable Care Act, they are more important than ever. With states expected to enroll millions more people into Medicaid and to ensure seamless coordination with the new Exchanges, it is essential that they have modernized, cost-effective eligibility systems that will accurately enroll eligible people in coverage without unnecessary red tape and delay and that will lower state and federal Medicaid administrative costs over time.

As you proceed with issuing a final rule, we encourage you to consider the following comments, prepared collaboratively by the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities, Community Catalyst, Families USA, Georgetown Center for Children and Families, and the National Health Law Program.

• Please click here to read the full text of the comments.