Medicaid

Medicaid Block Grants 101

Amid a great deal of speculation about the possibility of Congress and the new Trump administration turning Medicaid into a block grant program, Kaiser Health News has taken a step back to ask the question “What does this even mean?” Among the issues the new article addresses are: how a Medicaid block program might work how block grants differ from per capita caps why block grants are so interesting and so appealing to some public officials the chances of Medicaid becoming a block grant program See the Kaiser Health News article about Medicaid block grants here.

iqtsupport2017-01-26T13:00:32-05:00January 26, 2017|Medicaid|

Medicaid Directors Comment on Home and Community-Based Services

The National Association of Medicaid Directors has responded to a request for information published by the Department of Human Services seeking comment on the future of Medicaid-covered home and community-based services. See the association’s comments and recommendations here.

iqtsupport2017-01-26T06:00:15-05:00January 26, 2017|Medicaid|

Health Centers Rise to Medicaid Challenge

The nation’s federally funded health centers responded to the Affordable Care Act by serving more Medicaid patients than ever and improving the quality of care they provide. According to a new study published in the journal Health Affairs, Medicaid expansion was associated with improved quality on four of eight measures examined: asthma treatment, Pap testing, body mass index assessment, and hypertension control. Learn more about how Medicaid expansion affected federally funded health centers and how those centers responded to that expansion in the study “At Federally Funded Health Centers, Medicaid Expansion Was Associated With Improved Quality Of Care,” which can [...]

iqtsupport2017-01-23T06:00:39-05:00January 23, 2017|Affordable Care Act, Medicaid|

Implications of ACA Repeal for Medicaid

How might repeal of the Affordable Care Act affect Medicaid? Medicaid beneficiaries? States and providers? These issues and more are considered in the new Commonwealth Fund report “Medicaid’s Future: What Might ACA Repeal Mean?” Find it here.

iqtsupport2017-01-19T13:00:26-05:00January 19, 2017|Affordable Care Act, Medicaid|

Public Schools Using Telehealth

Spurred by 18 states that authorize Medicaid payments for telehealth services and another 28 that require private insurers to make such payments, more public school districts are integrating telehealth services into their school health programs. The schools are using telehealth to diagnose minor ailments, monitor chronic conditions, and authorize emergency administration of medicine in the absence of written parental permission. The use of telehealth in some school districts has reduced student trips to hospital emergency rooms and increased the rate at which children with medical problems return to the classroom. Learn more about how schools are using telehealth services to [...]

iqtsupport2017-01-13T06:00:06-05:00January 13, 2017|Medicaid|

Weighing the Impact of ACA Repeal

How might repeal of the Affordable Care Act affect the financial health of different kinds of hospitals? The New York Times recently took a look at how the 2010 reform law’s repeal would affect two Pennsylvania health systems: the Temple University Health System, led by a heavily Medicaid-dependent safety-net hospital located in one of the poorest communities in the country; and Main Line Health, a non-profit organization with several hospitals all located in affluent communities. See what the Times found here.

iqtsupport2017-01-09T06:00:13-05:00January 9, 2017|Affordable Care Act, hospitals, Medicaid|

Medicaid Directors Set 2017 Legislative Priorities

The National Association of Medicaid Directors has published its legislative priorities for 2017. Those 13 priorities, and the manner in which the group hopes to achieve them, are: Implement requirements for advance review of federal regulations and guidance by state Medicaid staff. Require in federal statute a distinct role for state Medicaid leaders to review the conceptual soundness and operational feasibility of federal regulations and guidance prior to finalization, which directly or indirectly impact the Medicaid program. Advance value-based reimbursement methodologies for all types of Medicaid providers. Update the tools states may use to allow for aligned value-based purchasing approaches [...]

iqtsupport2017-01-05T16:20:54-05:00January 5, 2017|Medicaid|

Medicaid Directors Set Goals for First 100 Days

The National Association of Medicaid Directors has published a paper detailing its objectives for its interaction with the Trump administration during that administration’s first 100 days in office. We call upon the new Administration to convene with NAMD’s Board of Medicaid Directors to solidify specific areas for ongoing collaboration to be carried out and reflected throughout our respective agencies. The Administration should make two updates to the process for developing federal Medicaid regulations and guidance. First, build in a step for engaging states during the pre-conceptual phase of work. Second, establish a distinct process whereby state Medicaid leaders can review [...]

iqtsupport2017-01-04T06:00:43-05:00January 4, 2017|Medicaid, Medicaid managed care|