Webinar: Using Social Determinants of Health Data in Medicaid Managed Care – A Webinar for States
Amy Lischko, Bailit Health Purchasing; Ellen Breslin, Health Management Associates; Arlene Ash, UMass Medical School
State Health and Value Strategies, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is pleased to announce the third in our series of webinars for state officials on achieving population health goals.
Using Social Determinants of Health Data in Medicaid Managed Care – A Webinar for States
State policy makers are increasingly focused on social determinants of health (SDOH) because of the important influence of these determinants on health care outcomes and Medicaid spending. Bailit Health’s Amy Lischko, kicked off the webinar with an overview of the methods for gathering SDOH data, and then the range of possible uses of the data by state policy makers.
The webinar delved into innovative efforts by state health policy leaders working to factor SDOHs in payment reform and quality measurement activities. First, Health Management Associates’ Ellen Breslin explored how states could factor SDOH into improved payment models and quality measurement activities drawing on a forthcoming issue brief from SHVS, Medicaid and Social Determinants of Health: Adjusting Payment and Measuring Health Outcomes. Next, University of Massachusetts Medical School’s Arlene Ash, described a new payment model that Massachusetts Medicaid is using to adjust managed care payments for certain social risk factors among enrolled populations. The webinar closed with the three panelists responding to questions from participants.
This event was the last in a three-part series of technical assistance webinars hosted by State Health and Value Strategies and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The series explores timely issues facing state health care leaders and features actionable information on what states can do. To access a recording and materials related to the first two webinars in the series, see immediately below.
“Shared Accountability Across Health and Non-Health Sectors: Opportunities to Improve Population Health,” click here.
“Medicaid Value-Based Payment for LTSS,” click here.
In the absence of federal legislation, states are actively seeking tools to reform their health care systems. While 1115 waivers rightly get a lot of attention, because of their ability to reshape state Medicaid programs, the Affordable Care Act’s Section 1332 waivers continue to be a promising avenue for states to stabilize their health insurance marketplace. SHVS is tracking state activity and has many resources, including a template, for states interested in pursuing a Section 1332 waiver.
In recent months, states have increasingly introduced proposals for individuals above Medicaid eligibility levels to “buy-in” to Medicaid or leverage the Medicaid program to strengthen coverage across the individual market and Medicaid. State Health and Value Strategies is tracking current state activity and has mapped out which states are pursuing a program and those that are establishing task forces to understand the impact of a Medicaid buy-in program.
On March 27, for the second time, a federal judge vacated the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) approval of Kentucky’s Medicaid 1115 demonstration waiver to test, among other things, a work requirement as a condition of Medicaid eligibility. In a related case of Arkansas’s Medicaid work requirements demonstration, the judge likewise vacated the federal approval, remanding it to CMS for further consideration. Notably, because Arkansas, unlike Kentucky, had already implemented the work requirements, the decision requires the state to cease its work requirement and related Medicaid disenrollments. This expert perspective reviews the court’s decision and its implications for both Kentucky and Arkansas and other states with similar approved or pending waiver requests, as well as for states contemplating imposing work or other “community engagement” requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries.
