How State Programs are Defining and Tracking MCO Implementation of APMs
State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar on how states are utilizing a variety of approaches to require and assess the use of APM strategies through their contracted health plans. Beth Waldman from Bailit Health highlighted findings from a SHVS resource entitled State Medicaid Approaches for Defining and Tracking Managed Care Organizations Implementation of Alternative Payment Models. Staff from the Rhode Island Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner and Texas Health and Human Services Commission participated to share insights on their APM approaches.
Categorizing Value-Based Payment Models According to the LAN
State Health and Value Strategies is hosting a webinar on categorizing value-based payment models according to the LAN Alternative Payment Models (APM) Framework. Megan Burns from Bailit Health highlights findings from an upcoming SHVS resource for states, Categorizing Value-Based Payment Models According to the LAN Alternative Payment Model Framework: Examples of Payment Models by Category. The webinar provides real-world examples of what types of payment models fit within the LAN categories. Kat Latet, Manager, Health System Innovation at Community Health Plan of Washington participates and discusses the development and categorization of their APM.
New Work and Community Engagement Requirements: Overview of Federal Activity and State Considerations
On January 11th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a State Medicaid Director letter providing guidance for states seeking 1115 waivers that condition Medicaid eligibility on work and community engagement, quickly followed by approval of Kentucky’s 1115 waivers that include these requirements. Both the new guidance and recent waiver approval represents a significant departure from past Administrations’ positions. In this webinar, the State Health and Value Strategies program, together with technical assistance experts from Manatt Health, review the new guidance, including key design parameters, budget neutrality requirements, and monitoring and evaluation criteria. The webinar also discusses state legal, policy and operational considerations for implementing work and community engagement requirements and highlight key elements of Kentucky’s waiver approval.
State Options for Responding to Federal Changes to the Individual Market
State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar the first week of January to outline state considerations and options to address federal policy changes that could impact individual market stability. Technical experts from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reform, Manatt Health, and others discussed the implications of individual mandate repeal in the tax bill and opportunities for state action, including reinsurance and state-level policies to incentivize enrollment. In addition, experts discuss potential changes to short-term policies that could also impact enrollment and premiums in the individual market. The webinar also explores potential budget impacts of the tax legislation on other health programs, including Medicaid.
Leveraging Medicaid to Strengthen Coverage
States continue to develop strategies to strengthen coverage across the individual market and Medicaid. In recent months, we have seen several proposals at both the federal and state levels that would leverage state Medicaid programs as a key component of coverage stability and affordability strategies. The webinar highlights and defines potential policy options, including the “Medicaid Buy-in,” that states may consider to leverage Medicaid to achieve their goals with respect to coverage availability and affordability. We discuss the conditions that make each option more or less favorable for a state, and implementation issues or other considerations in play for states.
Medicaid Managed Care Toolkit
State Medicaid agencies are increasingly turning to managed care organizations (MCOs) to cover more Medicaid enrollees, including those with complex needs. The ongoing shift from a fee-for-service payment model to a value-based payment model at the health plan and provider level puts even more importance on Medicaid managed care procurement strategies and approaches.
Medicaid Work Requirements/Community Engagement: Federal Activity and State Considerations
At least seven states have submitted 1115 waivers requesting authority to introduce work requirements for some Medicaid beneficiaries. Many more states are considering them. We examine key design considerations for states, including the populations to which work requirements may apply; exemptions based on health status or community conditions (e.g. rates of unemployment; access to transportation); definition of work (how many hours per month? Per year? Will school, job training, and volunteer work satisfy a work requirement?); and, use of verification and attestation in determining whether work requirements apply and are being met. We also look at state operational issues including integrating work requirements with a streamlined online, electronic application and renewal process.
Impact of Executive Order and Non-payment of CSRs on State Insurance Markets
State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar for states on the Executive Order affecting state insurance markets and the implications for states of discontinuation of CSR payments. The webinar featured insurance market experts from Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms and Manatt Health who discussed the elements of the Executive Order, what states can expect in the coming weeks, and the policy decisions states can consider.
Proposals to Renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program: An Update on Developments
Following the expiration of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), both the House and the Senate have turned their attention to the program’s renewal. As states know well, the program was provided with funding through fiscal year 2017, which ended on September 30th, creating pressure for Congress to act quickly before states begin to run out of CHIP dollars in the coming weeks and months. Both the Senate and the House recently have taken up legislation to provide funding for an additional five years and make a number of other modifications to the bill.
Understanding the Graham-Cassidy Proposal: Implications for States
In a final effort to pass a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act before reconciliation instructions expire on September 30th, Senators Graham and Cassidy are advancing a proposal that would retain many key provisions of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) – including per capita caps for Medicaid non-expansion populations – and replace federal funding for tax credits, cost sharing reductions, Medicaid expansion, and the Basic Health Program with a capped allotment that would be distributed to states in the form of a block grant.