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Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions are used to provide additional information and/or statutory guidance not found in State Medicaid Director Letters, State Health Official Letters, or CMCS Informational Bulletins. The different sets of FAQs as originally released can be accessed below.

Showing 31 to 40 of 75 results

What is the link to MACPro?

MACPro can be accessed at https://macpro.cms.gov.

FAQ ID:92806

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What is the link to the Enterprise Portal?

The Enterprise Portal can be accessed at https://portal.cms.gov . Please note: EIDM is the same as the CMS Enterprise Portal.

FAQ ID:92811

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What is the difference between EIDM and MACPro?

Enterprise Identity Management (EIDM) is an identity management and services system that provides users with access to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) applications. EIDM is located at https://portal.cms.gov/.

The Medicaid and CHIP Program (MACPro) system is a web-based tool for the submission, review, disposition, and management support of Medicaid and CHIP initiatives, including Quality Measures Reporting, State Plan Amendments (SPA), Waivers, Demonstrations, and Advance Planning Documents. MACPro is located at https://macpro.cms.gov.

FAQ ID:92816

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What should I do if I am experiencing connectivity issues, freezing, or slowness within MACPro?

Please provide the following information to the Help Desk:

  • Who is your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and IP address?
  • What is your location?
  • What component were you using (Quality Measures, Health Homes SPA, etc.)?
  • What is the exact time the problem occurred?
  • What exactly happened?
  • What screen were you on?
  • If an error message displayed, please provide a screenshot.
  • Did the problem resolve itself? Was a page refresh or application reboot required?

FAQ ID:92821

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What does a CMS EIDM Approver need to do if the user requesting access to MACPro is not on a list of users who should have access?

The CMS EIDM Approver would need to contact the Business Owner Point of Contact (POC) for the Medicaid and CHIP Programs that are in MACPro to request verification of the user requesting access. The Business Owner POC may need to get in touch with the relevant Medicaid/CHIP State Agency directly to verify that the user requesting access is valid.

FAQ ID:92826

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How do I change my password? / How do I reset my password if I forgot it?

As MACPro and the Enterprise Identity Management Portal (EIDM) are integrated, your EIDM credentials are what you use to log into MACPro. To reset your password for MACPro, go to the link https://portal.cms.gov  and click the blue link that says "Forgot Password" under the blue log in button on the right side of the screen. You must answer your challenge questions to be able to reset your password. If you are not sure of your challenge questions, please contact the MACPro Help Desk at macpro_helpdesk@cms.hhs.gov.

FAQ ID:92831

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What are the Implementation Guides for?

Implementation guides are documents that provide specific information on how to complete and review a specific section of MACPro as a State or CMS User.

FAQ ID:92836

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I received an unexpected error message, what should I do?

Take a screenshot (Ctrl+PrtScn [PC]) of the message you see and send an email to the MACPro Help Desk atMACPro_HelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov. (MACPro underscore Help Desk). Two ways to avoid unexpected error messages are:

  1. Never use the browser back and forth arrows to navigate through MACPro; and
  2. Do not remain inactive on MACPro for more than sixty minutes.
  3. Always log out when exiting MACPro or EIDM.
  4. If you are clicking a bookmarked link to access either MACPro or EIDM, try manually typing the link or copying and pasting the link.
  5. Try refreshing your screen or clearing your cache. You can clear your cache in your browser's Options. (If you need guidance on clearing your cache, please contact the MACPro Help Desk at MACPro_HelpDesk@cms.hhs.gov.)

FAQ ID:92841

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How does section 1902(a) (25) of the Social Security Act (the Act) define "health insurers"?

Section 1902(a) (25) (I) of the Act defines ""health insurers"" to include self-insured plans, group health plans (as defined in section Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS)(l) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)), service benefit plans, managed care organizations (MCOs), pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and ""other parties that are, by statute, contract, or agreement, legally responsible for payment of a claim for a health care item or service."" Workers' compensation, automobile insurance, and liability insurance plans all are included within the definition of ""health insurer"" for purposes of this section and the requisite state laws which must be enacted pursuant to it.

The CMS interprets ""other parties that are, by statute, contract, or agreement, legally responsible for payment of a claim"" to include:

  1. Prepaid Inpatient Health Plans (PIHPs) and Prepaid Ambulatory Health Plans (PAHPs). For purposes of Medicaid managed care, PIHPs and PAHPs are entities that contract with the state to deliver Medicaid-covered services; in that context, they would also be considered ""other parties that are, by contract, legally responsible for payment of a claim for a health care item or service;"" and,
  2. Such entities as third party administrators (TPAs), fiscal intermediaries, and managed care contractors, which administer benefits on behalf of the riskbearing plan sponsor (e.g., an employer with a self-insured health plan). CMS recognizes that entities such as PBMs and TPAs do not necessarily have ultimate financial liability, but, to the extent that they are required, by contract or otherwise, to review claims and authorize payment by the plan sponsor, they are included within the definition of ""third party"" and ""health insurer"" for purposes of section 1902(a) (25) of the Act.

Nothing in revisions to the Social Security Act made by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) imposes new liability to pay claims on entities that do not otherwise bear such liability. Nor does section 1902(a) (25) of the Act negate any right of indemnification against a plan sponsor or other entity with ultimate liability for health care claims by a contracting party that pays the claims.

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FAQ ID:94021

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Are indemnity insurance policies considered to be third party resources for purposes of Medicaid?

Indemnity policies may be considered third party resources if the policies meet certain criteria. Federal Medicaid regulations at 42 CFR 433.136 define a third party as ""any individual, entity, or program that is or may be liable to pay all or part of the expenditures for medical assistance furnished under a state plan."" This includes private insurance. Section 433.136 also defines private insurer to include ""any commercial insurance company offering health or casualty insurance to individuals or groups (including both experience-related insurance contracts and indemnity contracts)."" Private insurers are required to comply with the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) and related state enactments.

Indemnity plans may include a variety of insurance policies such as accident, cancer/specified disease, dental, hospital confinement indemnity, hospital confinement sickness indemnity, hospital intensive care, long-term care, short-term disability, specified health event, and vision. An individualized review of the various policy terms would be necessary to determine if they should be considered a third party resource for purposes of Medicaid. If this review determines that the policy provides for payment of health care items and services, the policy is a third party resource and payments would be assigned to the Medicaid agency.

An indemnity policy may be designed to pay a cash benefit to policyholders, unless the policyholder chooses otherwise. The policy may state that these payments may be used to cover medical expenses or living expenses such as rent, child care, or groceries. However, the insurance company may condition payment upon the occurrence of a medical event. Whenever payments are linked to specific medical events, these payments should be considered third party payments. Thus, the state could seek to recover Medicaid payments from the policy benefits.

Where indemnity policies do not qualify as a third party resource, any payments made to a Medicaid beneficiary may be countable as income for Medicaid eligibility purposes.

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FAQ ID:94026

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