Medicaid

This report looks at the changes states implemented to their Medicaid or other publicly-funded consumer directed home care programs in order to comply with the 2013 FLSA Home Care Rule. The report includes perspectives from various stakeholders and describes issues raised in interviews. It provides an overview of early implementation efforts, an environmental scan of state policies and procedures, and a case study examination of states with well-documented hardship exceptions.

The CMS Office of the Actuary released the 2018 National Health Expenditures. The study includes estimates on health care services and goods, health insurance costs, government administration, public health activities, and other areas related to health care including personal care, residential services, and nursing care facilities.

States operating Medicaid waiver programs are required to safeguard consumers against critical incidents such as abuse, neglect, exploitation, and unexplained death. Yet there is no federally defined term for “critical incident.” This webinar explores what constitutes a critical incident, and the steps your agency should take to protect your citizens from harm and your state from liability.

This updated annual report examines spending in the functional areas of state budgets and includes fiscal 2017-2019 data. The report looks at spending in the areas of elementary and secondary education, higher education, public assistance, Medicaid, corrections, transportation, and all other. It includes state-by-state breakdowns, highlights data on capital expenditures by program area, and reviews revenue sources.

This report is the fourth in a series of publications from the MLTSS Institute, which was established in 2016 to drive improvements in key MLTSS policy areas, facilitate sharing and learning among states, and provide direct and intensive technical assistance to states and health plans. This issue brief focuses on delivering effective care to individuals eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid and aims to lay out the case for state Medicaid agencies to invest in integrated care programs.

The latest report in the AARP Public Policy Institute’s Valuing the Invaluable series estimates the economic value of unpaid family caregiving at $470 billion in 2017. The report also explores family caregiving trends, highlights federal and state policy changes since the release of the previous Valuing the Invaluable report in 2015, and offers further policy recommendations to enhance the well-being of caregiving families.

The Financial Alignment Initiative (FAI) is intended to improve the quality of care and reduce spending for low-income people who are dually eligible. Mathematica researchers conducted a study to identify reasons for the varying participation rates across states. This brief explores the details of two major factors: passive enrollment and demonstration/MLTSS alignment.

CMCS has released the FFY 2018 Adult Core Set data. This data set provides information on 23 adult measures voluntarily reported by states. Recently released publications include an overview of 2018 findings, a core set chart pack, a summary of performance on measures, and the 2018 quality measures dataset.

CMCS has released the FFY 2018 Child Core Set data. This data set provides information on 23 child measures voluntarily reported by states. Recently released publications include an overview of 2018 findings, a core set chart pack, a summary of performance on measures, and the 2018 quality measures dataset.

This blog post discusses the concept of using value-based payment models in Managed LTSS. The post reviews the challenges of using VBP in HCBS and highlights lessons learned from CHCS' work with five MLTSS states.