MFP

On March 12, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a report describing best practices in implementing the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Demonstration. Since its authorization in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171), the MFP Demonstration has provided nearly $6 billion to 43 states and the District of Columbia to improve access to home and community-based services (HCBS) for Medicaid-eligible individuals and helped more than 107,128 long-term residents transition from institutions to the community. Developed in collaboration with states, providers, and MFP participants, this report identifies effective state strategies for implementing the key components of the MFP Demonstration...

On Monday, August 22, 2022 CMS released the Money Follows the Person (MFP): Updated State Transitions annual report for calendar years 2017 to 2020. The MFP demonstration, established by Congress through the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, enables state Medicaid programs to help Medicaid beneficiaries who live in institutions transition into the community, and gives people with disabilities and older adults more choice in deciding where to live and to receive long-term services and supports. From the time transitions began in 2008 to the end of 2020, states had transitioned 107,128 people to community living through MFP. The brief shows how MFP transitions varied by state and target population over time.

CMS has announced it will offer more than $110 million to expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) through Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. The new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) makes individual awards of up to $5 million available for more than 20 states and territories not currently participating in MFP. These funds will support initial planning and implementation to get the state/territory programs off the ground, which would ensure more people with Medicaid can receive high-quality, cost-effective, person-centered services in a setting they choose.

On June 24, 2021, the Better Care Better Jobs Act, S. 2210, was introduced in the United States Senate and referred to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. The bill would expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) by providing $100 M for states to expand access to Medicaid HCBS and strengthen the HCBS workforce, and provide states a 10% increase in the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for HCBS.

CMS has released a new report on community transitions that occurred under the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program from 2008 to the end of 2019. The report states that during this time, states transitioned 101,540 people to community living through MFP. In the most recent year (2019), MFP grantee states transitioned a total of 4,173 individuals. The report includes additional information on transitions broken down by population and state.

This report was released by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging. The report notes that one in four Americans 65 and older falls each year, leading to lasting health and economic consequences. Falls are preventable and not necessarily a part of the normal aging process. The report also includes a list of recommendations from the committee.

This report looks at how states with strong MFP programs compare to states without or with limited MFP programs. Findings show that states with more robust MFP programs reduced utilization of institutional LTSS at a higher rate than other states. In addition, these states also rebalanced their LTSS systems more efficiently compared with other states.

This paper explores how state MLTSS programs interact with federal LTSS initiatives. It examines this interaction in four states: Illinois, Iowa, New York, and Ohio. It specifically focuses on the the interaction of these states' MLTSS programs with the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration, the Balancing Incentive Program, the Health Home State Plan Option, and the Financial Alignment Initiative (FAI).

This recently released follow-up report was aimed at studying changes in the second year after individuals transitioned out of institutional care into community settings. Participants in the MFP program had higher costs during the first twelve months than non-MFP participants who also transitioned to community-based care. However, this study showed that these costs became comparable after the first year of transition.

This report presents the findings and conclusions of this national evaluation of the MFP demonstration. The MFP Rebalancing Demonstration program launched more than nine years ago. There are 44 grantee states, and as of the end of calendar year 2015, grantee states had transitioned a total of 63,337 Medicaid beneficiaries from long-term institutional care to community residences and home and community-based LTSS.