Medicaid

Explore Medicaid expansion under health care reform and savings for states through Medicaid “modernization.” This report examines three broad categories of savings opportunities including the greater use of coordinated care techniques, the greater use of managed care for LTC, and the upgrading of Medicaid’s administrative processes. Find national and state-specific projections of increases in Medicaid enrollees as a result of health reform legislation and of the associated Medicaid costs.

Effective July 1, 2010, this rule makes significant clarifications regarding benchmark benefits packages. States have utilized these packages to provide expanded HCBS beyond those available through the Medicaid State Plan. Clarifications include the provision of non-emergency medical transportation, and children’s access to the full range of Medicaid EPSDT benefits. The attached file contains the official text of the rule as entered into the Federal Registry.

Learn about the status of the public LTC delivery system, and opportunities and obstacles for LTSS reform and rebalancing. The study surveys states’ current HCBS expenditures and utilization, analyzes factors underpinning Medicaid’s institutional bias, looks at federal and state initiatives to improve the ratio between institutional and community-based care, and points to statutory and regulatory “fixes” that could enhance the states’ ability to improve their LTC delivery systems.

Fourth and final in a series that explores the cross-payer effects of providing Medicaid long-term supports and services on Medicare acute care resource use, this report provides a summary of the initial work of a study, described more fully in the first three reports, with an emphasis on lessons that state Medicaid administrators should consider as they move toward more formal programs of integrated care for persons dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

Many obstacles impede states from rebalancing their long-term supports and services (LTSS) programs toward greater emphasis on HCBS alternatives. This brief outlines policy recommendations for reforming the Medicaid-funded LTSS system to support more cost-effective and consumer-oriented long-term care options. The authors discuss the current LTC environment, barriers and promising solutions to rebalancing LTSS, and policy recommendations for improving the Medicaid LTSS system.

This letter was issued to provide information on new tools for community integration and to remind States of existing tools that remain strong resources in their efforts to support community living. Various technical assistance resources are listed, including a new guide for enhancing the availability of HCBS within managed care delivery systems. Progress around the HUD partnership, HCBS waiver and state plan options, grant programs, ADRCs and discharge planning are discussed as well.

Looking for job skills training materials? The state of Nevada created the attached work program samples. They include a class outline booklet, sample completion certificate, high school letter, job skills brochure, job skills flyer, programmatic report, resume template and short biography template. These templates could be useful to other MIG states interested in this approach to job skills training.

Explore innovative initiatives from across the nation offering alternatives for reforming the delivery of Medicaid-funded long-term care. This report includes both innovations that have been implemented as well as promising practices. Innovations included cover provider-focused initiatives, new directions for managed long-term care, administrative and financing solutions; and emerging telehealth technologies.

How are MIG states working to educate people with disabilities who want to work about incentives that won’t disqualify them for Medicaid health care coverage? The state of North Dakota created this advertisement to summarize program benefits and qualifications, and list other contacts and resources for information and help. It is an approach that could be useful to other states looking to dispel popular misconceptions.

How do dually eligible beneficiaries affect state MIG grant programs? Rhode Island and the University of RI, College of Pharmacy produced a chart book which highlights demographics, healthcare services, expenditures and the variation in cost by settings of care for seniors and people with disabilities who were enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid between 1995-2005. Objectives and findings are included. An sample of this book is attached and could be helpful to other MIG grantees.