How States Can Use Measurement as a Foundation for Tackling Health Disparities in Medicaid Managed Care
Kate Reinhalter Bazinsky and Michael Bailit, Bailit Health
Many people in America face segregation, social exclusion, encounters with prejudice, and unequal access and treatment by the health care system, all of which can impact health. Medicaid programs serve a disproportionate share of populations that are negatively impacted by health disparities. This new State Health and Value Strategies (SHVS) issue brief provides examples from a handful of states that have begun the work of identifying, evaluating, and reducing health disparities within their Medicaid managed care programs. Additionally, it offers an approach for other states interested in measuring disparities in health care quality in Medicaid managed care as a step towards achieving health equity, such that all Medicaid managed care enrollees have a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
As a reminder, SHVS is convening a series of webinarson advancing health equity through Medicaid managed care organizations. This five-part series will assist states interested in addressing disparities in health outcomes among Medicaid managed care beneficiaries as a step towards achieving health equity. On Thursday, June 20 at 2:00 p.m. ET SHVS (register here, required) will host the first webinar in the series, Advancing Health Equity in Medicaid Managed Care: An Introduction for States. This webinar will review the foundational principles of health equity, barriers to its realization, and the impact of health disparities.
A range of policy proposals to cut federal Medicaid funding under consideration by Congress could profoundly reshape the Medicaid program. Although the specific details of these proposals have not yet been defined, many entities are actively analyzing the possible effects on state Medicaid enrollment and spending. This expert perspective highlights the national 50-state analyses of Medicaid cuts that have been released. SHVS will continue to regularly monitor published estimates and update this expert perspective.
The budget reconciliation process is continuing to move forward in Congress and includes developing proposals in the House to identify $880 billion in federal savings over the next ten years, the vast majority of which will need to come from Medicaid. To support states in informing and validating their own fiscal and program impact estimates of federal policy changes, Manatt Health has developed, with support and input from State Health and Value Strategies, a new toolkit providing national and state-by-state data on the potential impact of key cuts under consideration in Congress. This expert perspective provides an executive summary of the toolkit.
Congress is considering a variety of federal policy changes that will have significant impacts on the Medicaid program, widely expected to reduce enrollment and federal Medicaid funding to states. A variety of state-level estimates have been released, which can be helpful for states as they consider how various policy proposals might impact their Medicaid programs. This expert perspective highlights state agencies that have estimated and quantified the potential impacts of various proposals on enrollment and spending. SHVS will continue to regularly monitor published estimates from states and update this expert perspective.
