HHS grants Hurricane Maria waivers for Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price this week declared public health emergencies in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands due to Hurricane Maria, and waived or modified certain Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program requirements to ensure sufficient health care items and services are available. “We will continue to be proactive and monitor the needs of the local governments to make sure hospitals, providers and suppliers can continue to provide care,” said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma. Widespread power and communications outages are being reported in Puerto Rico. AHA is working to find the best way to assist hospital employees affected.