Reports | Jul 8, 2022

Defining the “Glide Path”: State Medicaid Agencies’ Efforts to Promote Action on Social Determinants

Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network (SIREN) at the University of California, San Francisco

State Medicaid agencies are increasingly exploring opportunities to incorporate “social care” into strategies for improving health, decreasing healthcare costs, and achieving equity. While some target healthcare delivery organizations, most revolve around managed care organizations (MCOs). This slide deck highlights findings from a series of interviews with 13 states that explored the choices Medicaid leaders face around selecting which monitoring mechanisms to use to ensure that social programs are implemented as they envisioned. The findings are derived from a two-part research project that explored ways to scale and sustain social care across the healthcare sector. The first component, Conceptualizing Performance Measurement for Social Care Interventions: An Issue Brief for State Medicaid Agencies, examines social care performance measurement.


Expert Perspectives

October 11, 2024

CMS Offers New Details on Account Transfer 2.0

The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) explained the transition to “Account Transfer 2.0” (AT 2.0) in a CMCS Informational Bulletin (CIB) released on October 10, 2024. The CIB indicates significant federal investment in improving the process of transferring consumer application information between state Medicaid and CHIP agencies and the Marketplace in the states using the federal platform. This expert perspective reviews the CIB and highlights opportunities for states to improve account transfer data under the CIB.

CMS Solicits Comments on Medicaid/CHIP Reporting Templates for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity

On September 9, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new collection of federal Medicaid and CHIP reporting templates designed to assist states in monitoring Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) compliance in Medicaid and CHIP. Informal public comment is requested by December 2, 2024. This expert perspective reviews the reporting templates to highlight considerations for states and support the formulation of comment submissions.

September 27, 2024

States Have New Flexibility to Add Adult Dental Care to Essential Health Benefits

On April 2, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services offered a new option for states to update their essential health benefits (EHB) benchmark plan to require coverage of routine adult dental benefits. While there are multiple drivers of inequities in oral health, a primary barrier to accessing dental services is the cost of care, a barrier that can be reduced with dental insurance. This expert perspective provides an overview of the newly available flexibility and discusses considerations for states weighing whether to add a requirement that plans subject to EHB cover routine adult dental care.