CMS Approves California's Medicaid Waiver to Fund COVID-19 Testing for Low-Income Students
- March 05, 2021
California Governor Gavin Newsome announced March 3 that the federal government approved a “first-in-the-nation” waiver to use Medicaid funding for voluntary COVID-19 testing for low-income students covered by the state’s Medi-Cal program.
The California Department of Health Care Services submitted a waiver request to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide COVID-19 testing in schools for Medi-Cal children in grades K-12, a press release said. Medi-Cal provides coverage to 50-55% of school-aged children in California, according to the release.
CMS approved the request retroactive to February 1. The waiver will remain in effect 60 days after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
“I am grateful to our federal partners for approving our request to expand testing for low-income students to ensure schools can reopen safely in underserved neighborhoods that are bearing the brunt of pandemic hardships,” said Newsom, whose administration recently announced a $6.6 billion budget deal with the legislature for reopening the state’s schools.