Waiver rate

Definition

The daily amount a state Medicaid waiver pays per participant, set by the state not the center.

Why It Matters

Where most of the census is waiver-funded, the price of the service is not the operator's decision and neither is the timing of payment, so a rate freeze or a slow state turns a full building into a working-capital problem. Ask what share of census is waiver against private pay, what the rate has done over five years, and how many days of receivables the state is currently running.