Insights

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:

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;
Rider 61(b) – An assessment of Medicaid and CHIP managed care contract review and oversight;
Rider 61(c) – A study of Medicaid Managed Care rate setting processes and methodologies in other states; and
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.

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.

Companion Medicaid and Medicare Advantage Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans

This week, our In Focus section reviews Medicare-Medicaid integration opportunities through Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs). States are motivated to expand their capacity to address the needs of dually eligible beneficiaries through integrated care. They are increasingly requiring health plans that operate Medicaid managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs to become Medicare Advantage (MA) D-SNPs. A few states require D-SNPs to be Medicaid MLTSS health plans.[1]

Texas Health and Human Services Commission Submits Legislative Appropriations Request

This week, our In Focus section reviews Texas’ biennial legislative appropriations request (LAR) for fiscal years 2020-21, submitted by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC). The document, which totals 1358 pages, includes summary program data as well as budget breakouts by agency strategies, priorities, and source of funds.

Dual Eligible Financial Alignment Demonstration Enrollment Update

This week, our In Focus section reviews publicly available data on enrollment in capitated financial and administrative alignment demonstrations (“Duals Demonstrations”) for beneficiaries dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid (duals) in nine states: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Texas. Each of these states has begun either voluntary or passive enrollment of duals into fully integrated plans providing both Medicaid and Medicare benefits (“Medicare-Medicaid Plans,” or “MMPs”) under three-way contracts between the state, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the MMP. As of August 2018, nearly 369,000 duals were enrolled in an MMP. Enrollment dropped by 6.7 percent from August of the previous year after Virginia’s dual demonstration ended in December.

North Carolina and District of Columbia Medicaid Managed Care RFPs

This week, our In Focus reviews North Carolina’s much-anticipated Prepaid Health Plan Services request for proposals (RFP), released by the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits on August 9, 2018, and District of Columbia’s Medicaid Managed Care RFP released on August 14, 2018. North Carolina is transitioning its Medicaid fee-for-service program to Medicaid managed care through its procurement. DC is reprocuring its managed care program, covering the District of Columbia Healthy Families Program (DCHFP), Alliance program, and the Immigrant Children’s Program (ICP).

Medicaid Community Engagement, Work Requirement and Consumer Empowerment Programs: Key Implementation and Operations Issues and Considerations

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 important issues and considerations for implementing Medicaid consumer empowerment, community engagement, and work requirements.

New Report Assesses Effects of a Single-Payer Model for New York

This week, our In Focus reviews a New York State Health Foundation-commissioned report titled, “An Assessment of the New York Health Act: A Single-Payer Option for New York State.” The study, conducted by the RAND Corporation, analyzes a proposal that would establish a single-payer system in New York. The proposal, known as the New York Health Act (NYH Act), was developed by New York Assembly Health Committee Chair Richard Gottfried. It was passed by the Assembly several years in a row, but has never been brought to a vote in the Senate. The New York State Health Foundation commissioned the study to provide an independent, rigorous, and credible analysis of the proposal to understand the near-term and longer-term impact of the single-payer proposal. The study assesses how the plan would affect health care coverage and costs in the state.

New Hampshire Medicaid Care Management Draft RFP

This week, our In Focus reviews the New Hampshire Medicaid Care Management (MCM) Services Draft request for proposals (RFP), released by the state Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) on July 9, 2018. The MCM program, worth $750 million in annualized spending, will provide full-risk, fully capitated Medicaid managed care services to approximately 181,000 beneficiaries from July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024. The final RFP is expected August 10, 2018.

Washington FQHC Alternative Payment Methodology

This week, our In Focus reviews a case study called, “Spotlight on Health Center Payment Reform: Washington State’s FQHC Alternative Payment Methodology,” authored and prepared for the National Association of Community Health Centers by Health Management Associates’ Principal Art Jones and Senior Consultant Liz Arjun. The study, published in May 2018, looks at Washington’s fourth federally qualified health center (FQHC) Alternative Payment Model (APM4), implemented in July 2017.

Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment Update – Q2 2018

This week, our In Focus section reviews recent Medicaid enrollment trends in capitated, risk-based managed care in 28 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. Nearly all 28 states highlighted in this review have released monthly Medicaid managed care enrollment data into the second quarter (Q2) 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):

MS Releases Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) RFQ

This week, our In Focus Focus reviews the Mississippi Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) request for qualifications (RFQ) issued by the state’s Division of Medicaid on June 8, 2018. The Mississippi CHIP program provides statewide health coverage in all 82 counties to children in families with incomes up to 209 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). As of March 2018, 46,958 children were enrolled in CHIP.

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