Medicaid

This issue brief summarizes the Medicaid provisions of the budget reconciliation law signed in February 2006 and discusses the implications of the proposed changes. The changes would net reductions of $4.8 billion over the next five years and $26.1 billion over the next ten years from current Medicaid spending. Read about the many policy changes in the DRA, which both reduces federal and state Medicaid spending and also changes health care access and coverage for low-income beneficiaries.

The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has collected resources related to the Medicaid policy changes in the budget conference agreement to be voted on in February. Review the fact sheet and other resources related to the bill.

The December Gerontologist highlights a study which reviewed the state-level Medicaid 1915c data from 1992-2001 and compared state predictors of waiver utilization and expenditures for waivers serving both older and working age individuals relative to waivers serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The results found that increased community-based-care capacity appears to be an important factor in efforts to expand the availability of Medicaid community-based-care.

The Center for Personal Assistance Services has prepared this case study of the Washington state Medicaid Personal Care Services (PCS) program. This report first presents an overview of the states characteristics, and then reviews the Medicaid program and management of HCBS programs including the personal care in waivers. The primary focus is on the organization and management of the Medicaid PCS optional state plan program. The report highlights eight best practices.

Amid federal and state budget pressures, policymakers in many states are either planning to start new managed care programs for Medicaid beneficiaries with LTC needs or are expanding existing programs. This AARP Public Policy Institute Issue Brief reviews the limited but important experience of states that have implemented such programs to date, identifies key policy issues going forward, and assesses the likelihood of future growth in these programs.

CMS is pleased to announce the new and improved CMS website. The new site employs a user-friendly design to get visitors the information they need with the least amount of clicks. It introduces one-stop shopping “centers” targeted to specific professionals such as providers and partners, who frequent the site. The main changes include timely, relevant and accurate content, improved Google search features, and consistent organization and navigation sections.

In October 2005, CMS approved a Section 1115 waiver, allowing fundamental changes in their program. This fact sheet summarizes the main themes of Florida's Medicaid waiver and discusses key issues for consideration in assessing the waiver's impact. The state is looking to increase personal responsibility, market competition, and participation in private coverage.

A new two page fact sheet from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) summarizes the relationship of Medicaid with state budgets. The fact sheet provides an update about the fiscal situation in the states and how it is affecting Medicaid programs.

This new interactive online tool provides the latest key data for each state’s Medicaid program and the population it serves, allowing for easy comparisons of one state to any other state or to the nation as a whole, on a selection of important indicators. Utilizing figures from the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured and drawn directly from statehealthfacts.org, this tool provides customized figures and tables that can be easily printed as fact sheets, emailed or saved.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities just released an in-depth analysis of the National Governors Association's short-term Medicaid reforms. In August 2005, the NGA released “Medicaid Reform: A Preliminary Report,” a set of recommendations for Congress as it develops budget legislation to reduce projected federal Medicaid expenditures. This informative brief explores the recommendations and their implications for Medicaid.