Issue Briefs | Feb 6, 2018

State Medicaid Approaches for Defining and Tracking Managed Care Organizations Implementation of Alternative Payment Models

Beth Waldman, Michael Bailit and Mary Beth Dyer, Bailit Health

As state Medicaid programs emphasize a focus on value-based payment, they are increasingly requiring their Medicaid managed care organizations to implement alternative payment methodologies (APMs). With these new requirements, it is important for states to develop ways to ensure that their MCOs are complying with the APM requirements within their contract, and monitoring the progress and challenges with the implementation of APM strategies with Medicaid providers. The full brief focuses on different ways in which states may set standard APM definitions to a) track MCO progress toward meeting state APM goals, and b) support comparison of APM implementation within a state and nationally. The State Health Policy Highlight, Defining and Tracking Managed Care Organizations Implementation of Alternative Payment Models, summarizes the strengths and challenges of different approaches to setting APM definitions, for those interested in a high-level overview of the operational issues involved.

On Wednesday, February 14, State Health and Value Strategies hosted a webinar based on the issue brief that highlighted selected approaches and tools used by states to track and assess MCO progress on increasing APMs


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.