California

This report from Truven Health Analytics describes section 1915(c) home and community based services waiver programs. Over 1.6 million people received section 1915(c) waiver services in 2014; this is a 5 percent increase from 1.5 million in 2013. Furthermore, the number of section 1915(c) waiver participants has increased by an average of 4 percent per year since 2009. Participants received services for an average of 10 months in 2014, as in previous years.

This brief from the SCAN Foundation summarizes lessons learned and offers recommendations for improving integrated systems of care for people with Medicare and Medicaid, also known as dually eligible individuals. The brief draws from three years of California’s Cal MediConnect evaluation results.

In 2017, ADvancing States administered a survey of state agencies that deliver LTSS, including aging and disability agencies as well as Medicaid programs, regarding the significant policy, fiscal, and operational issues occurring within each state. During the survey, we collected detailed information about the structure of agencies, the supports provided, and the populations served by state programs.

This is a report on the dual eligible financial alignment demonstrations. The Financial Alignment Initiative is a series of demonstrations launched in 2011 by the Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office (MMCO) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

The National Association of State Budget Officers has a semi-annual report, with data gathered from all 50 state budget offices, that provides a narrative analysis of the fiscal condition of the states and data summaries of state general fund revenues, expenditures, and balances. The spring edition of the survey of the states details governors' proposed budgets.

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of senior population health on a national and state-by-state basis across 34 measures of senior health. The 2017 edition is the fifth publication of this report, which continues to serve as a benchmark of senior health for individuals, community leaders, policymakers, media and public health professionals.

This new brief, made possible by The Commonwealth Fund and The SCAN Foundation, highlights insights from states that are fine-tuning their integrated care programs. Formal evaluations of some integrated care programs are underway; however, until these results become available, the refinements made by states described in the brief -- all participants in the Implementing New Systems of Integration for Dually Eligible Enrollees (INSIDE) project.

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016, the Center for Health Care Strategies, Inc. (CHCS) published a new brief, “State Trends in the Delivery of Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports.” With support from The SCAN Foundation, seven states (Arizona, California, Kansas, Minnesota, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Texas) were selected to provide insights into current trends in both managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) program refinement and long term services and supports (LTSS) system reform.

The Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP) and Community Catalyst released an issue brief regarding the Financial Alignment Demonstrations. This issue brief discusses key findings from research on the demonstrations and proposes recommendations in two areas: operational or practice changes for health plans and program adjustments for policymakers.

Many individuals with long-term services and supports (LTSS) needs either reside in institutions or are at risk for institutionalization. Rebalancing care to provide LTSS in the community is one goal of the federal Financial Alignment Initiative for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees. This profile details the experiences of the Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) as it implements a pilot program to help dually eligible individuals in nursing facilities transition back to community living.