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
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.
HMA Experts Facilitate Diverse Focus Groups to Talk Healthcare
This post was originally written by HMA Managing Principal Dr. Jean Glossa and Principal Dr. Jeffrey Ring for the Solving Disparities Blog.
Thank You for Asking…
What do you get when you invite 15–20 diverse patients over to dinner to talk about their healthcare in their native language? Pure magic!
HMA Experts at 2017 NASHP and MHPA
Make sure to stop by booth 27 October 23-27 at NASHP’s 30th Annual State Health Policy Conference in Portland, OR.
Visit us at booth #27 to learn more about how HMA can help your organization. HMA Principal Carl Mercurio also will be doing live demonstrations of HMA Information Services (HMAIS).
HMA Consultants Tapped as Authors for Book About Oregon Healthcare Reforms
Health Reform Policy to Practice – Oregon’s Path to a Sustainable Health System: A Study in Innovation published by Elsevier Academic Press in August, provides a real-world example of an innovative, successful, and comprehensive Medicaid program redesign conducted by the State of Oregon. HMA colleagues Tina Edlund, Jeanene Smith, Cathy Kaufmann, and Lori Coyner were actively involved in Oregon’s healthcare reform efforts and have authored chapters on the development of Oregon’s metrics and incentive program, its patient-centered primary care medical home program, and its comprehensive system of supports for delivery system transformation.
Annual Survey Finds Medicaid Enrollment Growth Slowing, Uptick in Spending Growth
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.
Annual Survey Finds Medicaid Enrollment Growth Slowing, Uptick in Spending Growth
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.
Senators Murray, Alexander Reach Bipartisan Deal on Health Bill
This week, our In Focus section reviews the bipartisan health deal reached by Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN), both members of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions (HELP) Committee. Bipartisan talks around a bill to stabilize insurance markets have been ongoing for months, with discussions resuming after the Senate pulled a vote on the Graham-Cassidy reform bill last month. The Murray-Alexander bill, for which a discussion draft has been circulated, seeks to stabilize insurance markets through several key actions around cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to insurers and Section 1332 waivers, as well as several additional provisions. Below, we provide a summary of the key provisions as they stand.
Hospital Charges and Reimbursement for Drugs: Analysis of Markups Relative to Acquisition Cost
Analyses of prescription drug spending trends may not always include the role various parts of the pharmaceutical supply chain play in those trends. This analysis examines hospital charges and reimbursement for 20 drugs for which hospital reimbursement data is provided in the Magellan Rx Management Medical Pharmacy Trend Report™: 2016 Seventh Edition (the Magellan report). Charges were calculated from claims data, as described in the methodology at the end of this report. Magellan reports that prescriptions in the hospital outpatient setting account for 52% of spending on medical-benefit drugs (drugs, typically physician-administered, that are reimbursed under health plans’ medical benefit rather than the pharmacy benefit) for commercial payers.
Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Update – Q3 2017
This week, our In Focus section reviews recent Medicaid enrollment trends in capitated, risk-based managed care in 27 states.[1] Many state Medicaid agencies elect to post monthly enrollment figures by health plan for their Medicaid managed care population to their websites. This data allows for the timeliest analysis of enrollment trends across states and managed care organizations. Nearly all 27 states have released monthly Medicaid managed care enrollment data through the third quarter (Q3) of 2017. This report reflects the most recent data posted.