The Department of Healthcare and Family Services said Friday that the state’s 1115 waiver remains unaffected by the latest changes announced by the Trump administration.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services notified state Medicaid leaders last week that they do not intend to renew or extend existing 1115 waivers with policies related to continuous eligibility and workforce initiatives.
HFS spokeswoman Melissa Kula said Illinois’ waiver, approved last year under the Biden administration, does not have any current or pending initiatives that would be affected by the decision.
CMS said those initiatives require significant investments of federal funds and could affect the long-term viability of the Medicaid program.
“CMS is restoring commonsense guardrails to Medicaid and (the Children’s Health Insurance Program), which will ensure that Medicaid remains a lifeline for those who are eligible and in need of quality healthcare,” agency Administrator Mehmet Oz said in a statement.
The change to the 1115 waiver is the second announced by CMS under the Trump administration. In April, the agency told states it would no longer support waivers with Designated State Health Programs or Designated State Investment Programs.
Illinois’ waiver does not include either of those programs.
State officials previously said they received approval for implementing the health-related social needs portion of the waiver related to housing, food and nutrition. The department is moving forward with those initiatives.