Washington, D.C. – Congressman Eliot Engel, a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Medicaid program, applauded the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for reaching an agreement in principle with New York State on their pending Medicaid Redesign Team waiver.

“This waiver will help transform New York’s vital Medicaid program by giving Governor Cuomo the flexibility to invest in new initiatives that expand access to primary care and enabling health care professionals to provide higher quality care.  Hospitals in both the Bronx and Westchester County will benefit from the resources and assistance made available through this waiver.  I hope that CMS and the Cuomo Administration will work to finalize the details of this waiver quickly and look forward to carefully monitoring its swift implementation."

This agreement in principle comes one week after members of the New York Congressional delegation spoke with Cindy Mann, the Director of the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), urging swift approval of the waiver. Congressman Engel has also raised the importance of the MRT waiver to New York State repeatedly with Obama Administration officials over the course of the last year and a half. 

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