Blog

CMS Guidance on ACA Section 1332 Waivers

This week, our In Focus section comes to us from Principal Nora Leibowitz, reviewing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) guidance on Section 1332 waivers. The State Relief and Empowerment Waivers guidance, published in the Federal Register on October 24, 2018, updates the guidance related to Section 1332 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and its implementing regulations. Section 1332 establishes State Innovation Waivers, the authority by which a state can make changes impacting:[1]

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CMS Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration Evaluation Requirements: Implications for Designing Consumerism & Personal Responsibility Waivers

This week, our In Focus section highlights HMA Medicaid Market Solutions’ (MMS) efforts to support state flexibility in designing and implementing Section 1115 Demonstration Waivers promoting member engagement and personal responsibility. Over the coming weeks, HMA MMS will present a series of articles providing in-depth analyses of the many facets of these new Medicaid models. This week, we examine the implications for designing consumerism and personal responsibility waivers.

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Texas Medicaid and CHIP Managed Care Final Comprehensive Report

This week, our In Focus section comes to us from Senior Consultant Ryan Mooney, reviewing the Texas Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Evaluation report. The 85th Legislature of the State of Texas required the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) to report on its findings for Rider 61, Evaluation of Medicaid Managed Care (the Report). HHSC recently published the Report, which includes the following:

  1. Rider 61(a) – A review of the current Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) managed care delivery system and an assessment of the performance of managed care;
  2. Rider 61(b) – An assessment of Medicaid and CHIP managed care contract review and oversight;
  3. Rider 61(c) – A study of Medicaid Managed Care rate setting processes and methodologies in other states; and
  4. Rider 61(d) – An analysis of MCO administrative costs, including a survey of each MCO to determine the nature and scale of administrative resources devoted to the Texas Medicaid and CHIP programs and the identification of cost reduction opportunities.

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Highlights From This Week’s HMA Conference On The Rapidly Changing World Of Medicaid

This week, our In Focus section provides a recap of the third annual HMA Conference, The Rapidly Changing World of Medicaid: Opportunities and Pitfalls for Payers, Providers and States, held this Monday, October 1, and Tuesday, October 2, in Chicago, Illinois. More than 450 leading executives representing managed care organizations, providers, state and federal government, community-based organizations, and other stakeholders in the health care field gathered to address the opportunities and challenges facing health plans, states, and providers as they strive to provide the best possible care to Medicaid beneficiaries and other vulnerable populations at a time of significant uncertainty and change. Conference participants heard from keynote speakers, engaged in panel discussions and connected during informal networking opportunities. Below is a summary of highlights from this year’s conference.

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