37 TX Groups Urge Congress to Boost “FMAP” Health Funding to States During COVID

Yesterday, 37 Texas organizations sent a letter to the Texas delegation in Congress calling for swift passage of another COVID-19 relief package that further boosts federal health care funding for states through the “FMAP” Medicaid matching rate and maximizes the benefits that Texas receives from the increase.

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The organizations noted that we are grateful for the temporary 6.2 percentage point increase to states’ Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) included as part of the relief legislation that Congress passed this spring.

However, the letter explains that the current funds are not enough to get Texas through the remainder of the pandemic and recession.

As Texas faces declining state revenue due to the pandemic, an increase in federal funding is one of the main tools the Legislature can use to maintain full funding for key services that Texans need amid rising unemployment and a global pandemic.

The letter specifically urges Congress to:

  • Increase the federal Medicaid funding;

  • Tie the increased federal Medicaid funding to economic recovery;

  • Continue the federal Medicaid funding boost requirements that keep Medicaid coverage for residents through the crisis;

  • Adjust the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) per-state allotment; and

  • Block the pending Medicaid Financial Accountability Rule (MFAR) to avoid further burdening Texas' budget and families.

The letter is signed by a number of organizations that advocate for children and families, such as Texans Care for Children, United Ways of Texas, Every Texan, and Children’s Defense Fund-Texas; the leading health care organizations in the state, such as Texas Hospital Association, Texas Medical Association, and Texas Pediatric Society; and numerous other organizations.

Texans Care for ChildrenFederal Policy, Medicaid