Section 1115 Medicaid waivers for health-related social needs: A problematic tool

Section 1115 of the Social Security Act allows the secretary of health and human services (HHS), at a state’s request, to waive some of the federal requirements that state must meet to participate in Medicaid, or to provide federal Medicaid matching funds for services or populations that normally wouldn’t qualify, or both. States have used Section 1115 for a wide variety of demonstration projects in Medicaid over the years, and presidential administrations have actively solicited waiver applications with specific goals.