Reports

On Friday, July1, 2016, Mathematica Policy Research published a report summarizing the basic approach to rate-setting in Medicaid managed care and reviews the main options for structuring managed LTSS (MLTSS) rates. It presents examples from states with financial alignment demonstrations as well as long-standing MLTSS programs. The report concludes by highlighting the policy and operational considerations that should influence a state’s choice of strategy.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics in collaboration with the Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability published this month's National Trends on Disability Employment report (nTIDE). Each month this report is published to mark the changes of employment for people with disabilities.

This White Paper explains a proposed quality framework for managed care programs serving individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (ID/DD). The framework, developed by UnitedHealthcare's National Advisory Board, extends beyond traditional clinical measures to benchmark the quality of the "services and supports" delivered in these programs to measure how these programs address individuals' quality of life.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released their monthly report for April 2016 on Medicaid and CHIP application, eligibility determination, and enrollment data. States provides data to CMS on factors related to key application, eligibility and enrollment processes using the Medicaid and CHIP Performance Indicator Project. The data is then used to inform CMS on the operations of the programs in each state and to share state performance data publicly.

CMS posted two new reports with Medicaid LTSS expenditures data. The first report focuses on the most recent data available and recent trends such as 1) an increase in LTSS provided in managed care programs and 2) increased used of newer Medicaid LTSS options authorized in the Deficit Reduction Act and the Affordable Care Act. The second report, “Improving the Balance,” uses data from FY1981 through FY2014 and documents the transition of Medicaid LTSS from institutional services to HCBS.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has issued an Economic News Release on “Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics,” which shows, among other statistics, that the unemployment rate for people with disabilities fell to 10.7% in 2015 from 12.5% in 2014. The data on persons with a disability are collected as part of the Current Population Survey (CPS), a monthly sample survey of about 60,000 households that provides statistics on employment and unemployment in the United States.

The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) published their report, “ACAP Medicare-Medicaid Plans and the Financial Alignment Demonstrations: Innovations and Lessons”, that was prepared for the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP). The report examines the experiences of 14 ACAP plans that are participating in capitated model demonstrations for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Financial Alignment Initiative.

ADvancing States published a new report that offers data from the Long-Term Care Ombusdman Program organizational structure survey that was conducted in early 2015.

The National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) released the Spring 2016 “Fiscal Survey of States” report. The report indicates that, for the first time, estimated state general fund spending and revenues in fiscal 2016 surpassed their fiscal 2008, pre-recession peak levels after adjusting for inflation. However, the progress has been uneven across states and long-term spending pressures remain in areas such as health care, education, pensions, and infrastructure.

The Medicare Board of Trustees issued the 2016 report to Congress on the financial operations and actuarial status of the program. Medicare is the second-largest social insurance program in the U.S., with 55.3 million beneficiaries. The trustees projected that the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund will remain fully funded until 2028, 11 years longer than projected before the Affordable Care Act. Further analysis of expenditure growth overall and each part of the program is included in the report.