CMS announces hurricane waivers for North Carolina

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a number of efforts underway to support North Carolina in response to Hurricane Dorian. The agency is waiving certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements; creating special enrollment opportunities for individuals to access health care quickly; and taking steps to ensure dialysis patients obtain critical life-saving services. “It is our priority to make sure we coordinate with our federal, state, and local partners to make sure our beneficiaries have the access to healthcare and other critical life-saving and sustaining services they may need,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar Sept. 4 declared a public health emergency in North Carolina that is retroactive to Sept. 1. Public health emergencies also were declared in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina as Hurricane Dorian continues to move up the East Coast.