The Arc of Massachusetts appreciates the opportunity to comment on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Interim Final Rule regarding Medicaid community engagement requirements.
The Arc of Massachusetts represents more than 250,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism, and their families across Massachusetts. We are also informed by our seventeen local chapters, who provide direct services to individuals across the state. Everyday, we work alongside individuals with disabilities, family caregivers, providers, and community partners to advance inclusion and protect access to the supports that make independent community living possible.
Medicaid, known as MassHealth in Massachusetts, is the foundation that thousands of people with IDD rely on to live fulfilling lives. In Massachusetts, over 2 million people are enrolled in MassHealth. MassHealth pays for preventive and primary health care, behavioral health services, prescription medications, durable medical equipment, home-and community-based services (HCBS), personal care attendants, employment supports, transportation, and other essential services that allow people to live, work, and participate in their communities rather than being forced into institutional settings. For our community, access to home-and-community based services are particularly crucial.
