Policy

Make MFP Program and Spousal Impoverishment Protections Permanent

Since its inception in 2005, the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program has helped more than 91,000 people with disabilities in 43 states and the District of Columbia to transition out of institutional settings and return to living in the community. Those individuals who transition out of institutional settings and into Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) report marked improvements in their quality of life.

Medicaid’s spousal impoverishment protections allow an individual to remain eligible for Medicaid long-term services and supports (LTSS) while that person’s spouse maintains his/her income and assets. These protections have been in place since 1988 for Medicaid LTSS recipients who received care in an institutional setting such as a nursing home, and since 2014, all states have extended these protections to Medicaid LTSS recipients who receive care at home through HCBS.

The MFP program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections are set to expire after May 22, 2020 without Congressional action. United Spinal is grateful to Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, for reaching agreement on a plan to permanently extend the MFP program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. Please take a moment to contact your members of Congress and tell them to support making these two provisions permanent.

United Spinal MFP and Spousal Impoverishment Permanent Extension Letter to Congressional Leadership.pdf

Take Action Now