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HMA Insights: Your source for healthcare news, ideas and analysis.

HMA Insights – including our new podcast – puts the vast depth of HMA’s expertise at your fingertips, helping you stay informed about the latest healthcare trends and topics. Below, you can easily search based on your topic of interest to find useful information from our podcast, blogs, webinars, case studies, reports and more.

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Brief & Report

Report examines Medicaid program features, challenges, and changes in the territories

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Medicaid was designed to serve low-income and vulnerable individuals, but it operates differently in the U.S. territories than it does in the states. While the federal share varies based on per capita income for each state, federal funding for Medicaid in the territories is subject to a statutory cap and a fixed federal matching rate. Following recent hurricanes, typhoons and the North Korean missile crisis, which have damaged infrastructure and limited tourism, the fiscal issues for territories have been exacerbated. This is in addition to the larger share of people living in poverty that are in fair or poor health in the territories.

In a recently published issue brief, Kaiser Family Foundation’s Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured Policy Analyst Cornelia Hall and Associate Director Robin Rudowitz, along with HMA Principal Kathy Gifford, surveyed and interviewed territory Medicaid officials to identify the key issues and trends in the programs for the territories.

Key findings include:

  • The reliance on Affordable Care Act funds for Medicaid programs, which are set to expire in September.
  • Enrollment increases due to recent hurricanes.
  • Benefits and delivery systems differ in the territories.
  • Provider shortages.

View below for the full issue brief.

Blog

Medicaid Plan PMPM Rates Rise 0.3 Percent in 2018 for TANF/CHIP In 19 States, 4 Percent for Expansion, HMAIS Analysis Shows

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This week, our In Focus summarizes the findings of an HMA Information Services (HMAIS) analysis of Medicaid managed care rates in 2018 versus 2017. The analysis represents HMAIS’ first attempt at what will be an annual tracking of Medicaid managed care rate increases, which we will expand upon and refine over time with input from our readers and the Medicaid community. Complete results, including spreadsheets showing underlying analysis, will be made available to HMAIS subscribers. For information on how to subscribe, contact Carl Mercurio.

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Blog

MA Releases One Care Dual Demonstration 2.0 Request for Responses

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This week, our In Focus reviews the Massachusetts One Care Dual Demonstration 2.0 request for responses (RFR), released by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS). One Care will cover Medicare and Medicaid dual eligible adults with disabilities ages 21 through 64 and includes medical, behavioral, Long-term Services and Supports (LTSS), community supports, and care management services statewide.

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Webinar

Webinar Replay: The Future of Medicaid Expansion: States to Watch for Potential Ballot Initiatives, Other Expansion Efforts

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This webinar was held on February 20, 2019.

Who would have guessed that there would be an increase in the number of Medicaid expansion states during the Trump administration? In fact, five states have agreed to expand Medicaid since 2016, bringing to 37 the total number of states expanding under the Affordable Care Act. Several of the remaining holdouts are considering expansion as well. The continued interest has been driven by several factors, and the remaining states are rethinking expansion because the Trump administration has afforded leeway to shape expansion programs through work requirements and other variations and innovations.

During this webinar, HMA experts provided an overview of the Medicaid expansion market and looked at which of the remaining states are most likely to pursue expansion and why. Presenters also addressed some of the important program variations states are most likely to consider when shaping expansion benefits.

Learning Objectives

  1. Find out which remaining states are most likely to expand Medicaid and which ones are most likely to hold the line and remain non-expansion.
  2. Get an overview of Medicaid expansion innovations, including an understanding of how each variation potentially impacts enrollment and costs.
  3. Understand the economics of expansion, including a look at the budget implications of expanding Medicaid and remaining non-expansion.
  4. Understand the operational implications and considerations for states and health plans implementing alternative expansion models.
  5. Learn what the remaining opportunity is for Medicaid managed care plans in states that still haven’t expanded Medicaid.

HMA Speakers

  • Matt Powers, Principal, HMA (Chicago)
  • Jason Silva, Senior Consultant (Sacramento)
  • Lora Saunders, Senior Consultant (Tallahassee)

Who Should Listen

State Medicaid officials and staff; executives of Medicaid managed care plans; and providers, including clinical and administrative leadership of health systems.

Blog

HMA Colleagues Played Pivotal Role in Launching Forum for the Brooklyn Perinatal Network

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HMA New York colleagues Heidi Arthur and Annalisa Baker played a pivotal role in launching a forum for the Brooklyn Perinatal Network on Jan. 11.

The forum, entitled, “A Community Response to Addressing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality,” was a collaboration between a network of community-based organizations (CBOs) making up the Brooklyn Coalition for the Health Equity for Women and Families Coalition Leadership Team.

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Blog

Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Update – Q4 2018

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This week, our In Focus section reviews recent Medicaid enrollment trends in capitated, risk-based managed care in 29 states.[1] Many state Medicaid agencies 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. All 29 states highlighted in this review have released monthly Medicaid managed care enrollment data into the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2018. This report reflects the most recent data posted. HMA has made the following observations related to the enrollment data shown on Table 1 (below):

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Brief & Report

Report conducted by HMA addresses alarming youth suicide trends across Colorado

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On January 3, 2019, Colorado Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman released the study, Community Conversations to Inform Youth Suicide Prevention. The multi-layered study, conducted by HMA, focused on the four Colorado counties with the highest youth suicide rate.

HMA designed a multi-pronged strategy to the study with the goal of learning about opportunities and approaches to youth suicide prevention in each of the four counties, and across Colorado. The team conducted 42 stakeholder interviews and also facilitated 34 focus groups with adults and youth from various communities and sectors. For comparison, focus groups were also conducted with school staff and parents in two counties, where youth suicide rates were lower and/or there had not been recent suicide clusters.

HMA also reviewed information about current suicide prevention activities and resources, traditional and social media coverage related to suicide, and publicly available information on school policies and procedures related to suicide prevention and postvention in the aftermath of a student suicide or suicide attempt.

Key findings:

Risk factors attributing to youth suicide:

  • Pressure and anxiety about failing
  • Social media and cyber bullying
  • Lack of pro-social activities
  • Lack of connection to a caring adult
  • Judgement and lack of acceptance in the community.
  • Substance use, mental health disorders and trauma history
  • Adult suicides in the community

Barriers to suicide prevention:

  • Not enough resources to effectively implement youth suicide prevention, intervention and postvention activities
  • Each county faces lack of resources and funding for public health and social services programs
  • Lack of equitable distribution of resources across agencies
  • Lack of mental health providers in these communities who accept Medicaid
  • Communities with more mental health resources have few providers who are trained to work with youth or the providers only accept adults
  • Stigma associated with seeking help
  • Stigma against LGBTQ+ individuals limits the places and resources from which those individuals seek help
Blog

HMA Experts Contribute to Report on Health Disparities in Minnesota’s Medicaid Population

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Editors Note: This post was authored by HMA Principal Ellen Breslin, MPP. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently submitted a report to the Minnesota Legislature, called Accounting for Social Risk Factors in Minnesota Health Care Program Payments. This report represents a multi-year effort on the part of DHS, and a real step forward in moving from social risk as a concept to a quantifiable methodology to explain its impact on health. The report delivers DHS recommendations to reduce health disparities among Medicaid and other DHS program participants.

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Blog

Medicaid Expansion Considerations For Non-Expansion States

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This week, our In Focus section is led by Matt Powers, a Principal in our Chicago office, who worked with HMA colleagues to summarize the factors that non-expansion states weigh when considering whether or not to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.  Including the states where Medicaid expansion ballot initiatives passed, 37 states have chosen Medicaid expansion or are moving toward Medicaid expansion. More than 12 million newly eligible individuals are insured by state Medicaid programs through the expansion. Comments on recent ACA Court Ruling:

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