The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has exposed gaps in the social safety net in the US. Medicaid, which covers 71 million individuals, has an important responsibility in addressing these gaps. Medicaid programs can fund unexpected health care services that other insurance plans may exclude and are thus well-positioned to ensure that vulnerable patients have access to important health care services and that hospitals and other health care organizations and clinicians are reimbursed for providing that care.

States can take several actions to waive federal or state requirements to accomplish the following goals: (1) improving prompt testing and treatment of patients with COVID-19, (2) mitigating the strain on the health care system and preserving the capacity of hospitals and health care practitioners, and (3) limiting transmission of COVID-19 by facilitating changes in how care is delivered. Through the series of actions outlined below, Medicaid programs should have a key role in protecting enrollees, supporting public health efforts to reduce the spread of the virus, and aiding the health care system to increase capacity.

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