Enrollment Assistance Program - Limited Source Justification

Please note:  A task order for this work has already been awarded.  This is a required posting of the limited source justification (LSJ) in accordance with FAR 8.405-6(a)(2) within 14 days of task order award.Description of Services: The PHE related to the COVID-19 pandemic was issued on January 31, 2020 by Secretary Alex M. Azar II of the U.S Dept of Health and Human Services using the authority vested in him in section 319 of the Public Health Service Act. On March 18, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) was signed into law and one of its many provisions stated that the PHE period expires after 90 days, unless further extended by the Secretary.  The Secretary extended the PHE every 90 days, with the last extension occurring on January 16, 2022.The FFCRA provides states with a temporary 6.2% payment increase in Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) funding that expires a quarter after the PHE ends. The FMAP payment increase led to historically large

increases of temporarily eligible Medicaid and Children’s’ Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) beneficiaries. It also prohibited increased FMAP funded states from disenrolling beneficiaries during PHE except at the beneficiary’s own request. This prohibition on disenrollment is referred to as the continuous coverage requirement. However, when the PHE expires both the FMAP payment increases and the resulting continuous coverage requirement will expire shortly soon after. CMS calculates that the expiration of the PHE and the resulting sunsetting of the increased FMAP state funding will result in millions of current Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries losing their eligibility and healthcare coverage. When the PHE expires, CMS expects millions of Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries will lose their health care coverage in a very short amount of time. The Enrollment Assistance Program (EAP) has been identified as an efficient and effective means to quickly facilitate potentially affected consumers’ enrollment support during PHE unwinding efforts. Specifically, CMS will utilize the EAP to support existing outreach and enrollment efforts and provide additional in-person assistance, which is necessary when the PHE expires.