Medicaid

Published monthly, this report and website tool focuses on state actions in managed care for people who receive Medicaid-funded LTSS and on state initiatives relating to services and costs. The Tracker includes updates on State Demonstrations to Integrate Care for Dual Eligible Individuals, the Balancing Incentives Payment Program (BIPP), states developing or implementing Medicaid State Plan amendments under §1915(i), and states pursuing the Communities First Choice Option under §1915(k).

State aging and disability agencies have operated within a tumultuous environment for the past several years. It has become increasingly more difficult to reconcile the needs of older adults and people with disabilities with the resources available to address those needs. Five themes are identified from the 2012 state of aging and disabilities surveys, which include the acceleration of Medicaid managed long term services and supports and continuing loss of historical knowledge around the nation.

This letter provides State Directors of State Units on Aging (SUAs) with information regarding the CMS decision to reduce Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) payments by 11.1% for FY 2012 (a reduction of $3.87 billion). The decision is supposed to create more efficiency in the Prospective Payment System (PPS). The memo describes the implications of such a decision coupled with frozen or reduced Medicaid payments to SNFs and Long Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs).

There are many opportunities for states’ Medicaid information systems and administrative functions to be federally subsidized with funding. This brief describes the variety of administrative systems that qualify for federal financial participation (FFP), including the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) and health information technology (HIT). The systems are used to support people with disabilities and older adults.

This issue of Fundamentals describes Medicaid waivers and how they are generally used by states. It also describes the various types of waivers currently operational in California. The paper offers a broad overview of Research and Demonstration Projects—Section 1115 Waivers; Program Waivers— Section 1915(b) and 1915(c) Waivers and Section 1915 (b) and (c). Review the matrix which summarizes the difference.

This report provides a brief overview of a research study and its methods for both the field research and the quantitative analyses of the Texas Rider 37 program. The authors then present findings and observations from the qualitative study and quantitative analyses relevant to specific research questions. The report concludes with a summary of the findings.

States can draw down federal funds to assist in paying for the operation of their Medicaid program. Some ADRC activities may be eligible for administration federal financial participation (FFP). This resource provides guidance in applying and securing Medicaid FFP for ADRC activities.

The purpose of this study was to describe the two ways in which Medicaid offers personal care services to low-income Americans: Medicaid Title XIX Personal Care Services (PCS) optional state plan benefit; and the Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waivers program. A summary of the findings of this study are presented here as well as the article that appeared in the Health Care Financing Review, Summer 2001.

This innovative disability and health data tool uses data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to identify disparities in health between adults with and without disabilities. Find data on a range of health indicators for your state and compare the health of adults with and without disabilities and certain health conditions. Maps, data tables and state profiles are available.

This bulletin reviews policy when Medicaid funding is available for certain administrative costs related to activities conducted by state Long Term Care Ombudsman (LTCO) programs that benefit the state's Medicaid program. It also summarizes the basic requirements for Medicaid administrative claiming of LTCO program activities and provides a link where states and LTCO programs can find more information regarding specific program activities that may be eligible for Medicaid administrative funding.