Blog

Kristin Allen

Arizona, Kansas Medicaid Managed Care RFPs Reviewed

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This article was authored by HMA Senior Consultant Annie Melia and Consultant Alona Nenko.

This week, our In Focus section reviews two Medicaid managed care requests for proposals (RFPs) released on November 2, 2017. The Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) issued an RFP for the “Complete Care” program, which will integrate Medicaid managed care for physical and behavioral health as well as replace the state’s long-standing Acute Care Medicaid managed care program. It will cover approximately 1.5 million Medicaid members. Meanwhile, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Department for Aging and Disability Services issued an RFP for KanCare 2.0 Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Capitated Managed Care, which will serve approximately 403,000 members.

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Opioid Epidemic Declared a National Public Health Emergency: So, What Now?

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On Thursday, President Trump announced that he will declare America’s opioid epidemic a national public health emergency. This designation came at the behest of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis’ draft interim report released in August. The opioid epidemic is now the first public health emergency since the H1N1 influenza outbreaks of 2009. The designation aims to enhance access to opioid treatment by easing federal regulations and offering states federal funding flexibility to promote telemedicine. While the official text has yet to be released, expected provisions include:

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Highlights from Kaiser/HMA 50-State Medicaid Director Survey

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This week, our In Focus section reviews highlights and shares key takeaways from the 17th annual Medicaid Budget Survey conducted by Health Management Associates (HMA) and the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF). Survey results were released on October 19, 2017, in three new reports: “Medicaid Enrollment & Spending Growth: FY 2017 & 2018,” “Medicaid Moving Ahead in Uncertain Times: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018,” and “Putting Medicaid in the Larger Budget Context: An In-Depth Look at Three States in FY 2017 and 2018.” The reports were prepared by Kathleen Giff­ord, Eileen Ellis, Barbara Coulter Edwards, and Aimee Lashbrook from HMA, and by Elizabeth Hinton, Larisa Antonisse, Allison Valentine, and Robin Rudowitz from the Kaiser Family Foundation. HMA’s Dennis Roberts also contributed. The survey was conducted in collaboration with the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

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Annual Survey Finds Medicaid Enrollment Growth Slowing, Uptick in Spending Growth

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Medicaid Moving Ahead in Uncertain Times: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2017 and 2018

Medicaid enrollment continues to slow in FY 2017 and FY 2018; however, states project an uptick in spending in FY 2018. This is just one finding in the 17th annual 50-state Medicaid Budget Survey conducted by The Kaiser Family Foundation and in collaboration with Health Management Associates (HMA) and the National Association of Medicaid Directors.

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HMA Authors Report on Digitally Driven Integrated Primary Care and Behavioral Health

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This week, our In Focus section highlights an article, Digitally Driven Integrated Primary Care and Behavioral Health: How Technology Can Expand Access to Effective Treatment, published in the Current Psychiatry Report, was co-authored by HMA Principals Lori Raney, MD and David Bergman, MPA, as well as John Torous, MD, and Michael Hasselberg, M.S., Ph.D. Together, they addressed how technology solutions can be utilized for more widespread implementation of effective integrated primary care and behavior health.  

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Review of Medicaid Managed Care Procurement Landscape in 2017

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This week, our In Focus section reviews the Medicaid managed care procurement landscape for 2017, including those requests for proposals (RFPs) and other procurement vehicles that were awarded, are currently out to bid, or are expected to be released before the end of the calendar year. By year’s end, we anticipate there will have been at least 16 procurements awarded or issued this year across 13 states, covering more than 13 million Medicaid or CHIP members, and accounting for more than $76 billion in annual spending when fully implemented.

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Chronicle of a Death Foretold: ACA Repeal and Replace Stalls in Senate

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This In Focus article, authored by HMA Managing Principal Greg Nersessian, CFA  and Research Assistant Anh Pham, was originally published in the August 2, 2017 HMA Weekly Roundup.

In deference to Miracle Max, after last week’s failed votes on “Repeal and Replace,” “Straight Repeal,” and “Skinny Repeal,” the GOP’s efforts to undo the Affordable Care Act (ACA) through budget reconciliation appear to be at least “mostly dead.” While it is possible strictly partisan discussions will reaccelerate at some point, it appears that Congress is, for the first time, considering bipartisan proposals for shoring up the underwriting challenges in the individual market. In light of this change in direction, we are using this week’s In Focus section to chronicle the events that transpired over the last five months leading to last week’s historic vote. Our objective here is to create a reference piece for our readers so that the next time Congress revisits major healthcare legislation we can look back on the strategies and approaches that led to last week’s result.  Many times over the last eight months, we have reflected on the key dynamics surrounding the passage of the ACA in 2010 as a guide for what factors to watch in the efforts to repeal the ACA – budget reconciliation issues, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) scoring, key proposals to win over recalcitrant legislators, the President’s role in pushing the agenda – but our memories were not always up to the task. So in the spirit of having a reference document for future reflection, we record below the key events associated with this effort.

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