As part of health reform implementation, states will create a large and complex new marketplace for the buying and selling of health insurance coverage. Through State Exchanges, individuals and small businesses may buy federally defined benefit packages from state licensed and certified Qualified Health Plans.

For health plans, this is a huge new market with potential enrollment of 25 million to 40 million or more. For individuals and small employers, it will create a new, highly regulated pathway to buy coverage and access subsidies. Some 16 million uninsured Americans are projected to be insured through State Exchanges. For states, implementation will present extraordinary policy, regulatory, administrative, and systems challenges.

Briefing on State Exchanges and Qualified Health Plans:

For members of the Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA), I recently conducted a webinar on State Exchanges and Qualified Health Plans. For a variety of reasons, Medicaid health plans are better positioned for the Exchange plan market than many commercial plans. For the webinar slide deck, click here (PDF).

It was part of a series of webinars by Sellers Dorsey for Medicaid health plan leaders. Sellers Dorsey's other webinar topics included (1) grants and demonstrations under health reform law (PPACA), (2) Medicaid expansion, and (3) Medicaid drug rebate.

State Health Insurance Exchanges:

In a nutshell, starting January 2014:

At state option, large employers may buy coverage through State Exchanges starting in 2017. This, coupled with the strong possibility of crowd-out, could lead to major enrollment growth for QHPs.

Federally mandated rebates for prescription drugs in Medicaid were expanded significantly - by $38 billion - under the new health reform law, with extraordinary financial, administrative, and compliance implications for pharmaceutical manufacturers, Medicaid health plans, and state Medicaid programs.

In a new journal article, I explain changes to the Medicaid drug rebate program and implications for drug makers, health plans, and states. The article appears in the June 2010 issue of the peer-reviewed journal American Health & Drug Benefits.

The article provides a primer on the basics of the Medicaid drug rebate program, including Average Manufacturer Price (AMP), Best Price, federal rebate agreements with drug manufacturers, supplemental rebates, Preferred Drug Lists (PDLs), reporting of drug prices by pharma and biotech companies, and drug utilization reporting by state Medicaid agencies.

The article then summarizes the major changes effective for 2010, notably (1) increased minimum federal rebate percentages for brand and generic drugs and (2) extension of federallly mandated minimum drug rebates to Medicaid drug utilization in Medicaid managed care organizations. It concludes with a brief discussion of implications for states, drug makers, and health plans.

The Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA) created the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) to advise Congress on a wide range of Medicaid and CHIP issues. MACPAC will start operating in early 2010.

MACPAC Membership and Staff:

Modeled closely after the long standing and highly influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), MACPAC will be a Congressional agency like MedPAC, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Like MedPAC, the 17-member MACPAC will include an executive director and a professional staff of ~25-40. MACPAC appoints the executive director.

The 17 Commission members will be appointed for three-year, staggered terms, by the Comptroller General (head of the GAO), with representation from health financing experts, physicians, health professionals, employers, third-party payors, consumers, and current or former state Medicaid / CHIP officials. Non-health care providers must constitute a majority of the MACPAC membership. MACPAC appointments must be made by January 1, 2010.

Qualifications for MACPAC Membership:

In general, MACPAC's membership must include individuals with direct experience as:

• Medicaid / CHIP beneficiaries or parents of beneficiaries.
• Individuals with national recognition for expertise in Medicaid, CHIP, health finance and economics, actuarial science, health plans, integrated health systems, reimbursement, health information technology, or health care providers (e.g., pediatricians, dentists).

In particular, the MACPAC membership must include physicians and other health professionals, employers, third-party payors, and individuals with expertise in the delivery of health services. This must include:

• Members representing children, pregnant women, the elderly, and individuals with disabilities
• Current or former state Medicaid agency officials.
• Current or former State CHIP agency officials.

Congress seeks a mix of different professionals, broad geographic representations, and a balance between urban and rural representatives.

Role and Duties of MACPAC in Advising Congress on Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program:

Starting in 2010, MACPAC will:

• Review Medicaid and CHIP policies affecting children's access to covered services and make recommendations to Congress, with a report due by March 1 each year.
• More broadly examine issues affecting Medicaid and CHIP, including implications of changes in care delivery and the marketplace. Make recommendations to Congress, with report due by June each year.

More specifically, Congress directs MACPAC to regularly review and assess:

• Medicaid and CHIP payment policies, including state payment methodologies and factors affecting expenditures in different sectors, including the process for updating reimbursement rates for hospitals, nursing facilities, physicians, and community health centers.
• The relationship of payment policies to access and quality of care for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries.
• Interaction of Medicaid and CHIP payment policies with health care delivery.
• Implications of health care delivery changes and other marketplace changes on access to care for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries.
• The effect of other Medicaid and CHIP policies on access to covered health care services, including transportation and language barriers.

MACPAC must also:

• Create an early warning system to identify provider shortage areas or any other problems that threaten access to care or the health care status of Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries.
• Review and comment to Medicaid and CHIP related reports to Congress by HHS.
• Upon request of committee chairs or ranking members, conduct studies, produce special reports, and make recommendations to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP issues.
• Periodically consult with Congressional leadership (committee chairs and ranking members), make its reports available to the HHS Secretary and the public, record and report votes on all recommendations, and examine the budget consequences of recommendations.
• Before making any recommendations, MACPAC must consider the budget consequences of such recommendations, directly or through consultation with experts.

CHIPRA also contains provisions on MACPAC operations, data collection and access, authority, funding and staffing. Again, these closely align with existing policies governing MACPAC's sister agency MedPAC.

Committee Jurisdictions in Congress:

MACPAC will be accountable to the Congressional committees with jurisdiction for Medicaid and CHIP, namely:

• House Energy and Commerce Committee and its Subcommittee on Health.
• Senate Finance Committee.

Medicaid managed care is a complex business, far more complex than commercial, employer-sponsored health plans or Medicare Advantage plans. Medicaid health plans must meet a range of competitive, financial, clinical, operational, compliance, and political challenges. However, in smart hands, Medicaid managed care organizations (MMCO's) can and often do deliver positive results for beneficiaries (better access and higher quality), taxpayers (lower Medicaid spending initially and/or over time), and investors (top line revenue and bottom line earnings).

Clients and colleagues often ask me about state requirements for Medicaid health plans. Therefore, here is a quick summary of the requirements found in the typical state Medicaid agency RFP for Medicaid managed care services:

Eligibility, including eligibility categories, application and eligibility determination process, and eligibility for enrollment in managed care organization (MCO).

Service area(s), typically by county, regional (multiple counties), or statewide.

Enrollment, including MCO selection and assignment, auto-assignment, maximum enrollment, enrollment effective dates, enrollment period, transfers from other MCOs, enrollment of newborns, enrollment of pregnant women, and information for new enrollees.

Disenrollment, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons for disenrollment, information for beneficiaries at risk of disenrollment, and process for disenrollment.

Covered benefits, including services and items covered by MCO, services carved out from MCO (if any, such as prescription drugs, behavioral health, or dental), non-covered services, cost sharing for services, medical necessity determination, use of alternative services when cost effective, and use of incentives.

Specialized services, including EPSDT services for children, prenatal care, emergency services (handling of in-network, out-of-network, out of service area, and out-of-state emergencies), urgent non-emergency services, pharmacy benefit management, mediation therapy management, preventive services, behavioral health care and crisis management, hospice, health education, women's health services, and advanced directives.

Provider network, including (a) network capacity, (b) provider credentialing and certification, and (c) special requirements, as appropriate, for primary care providers, physician specialists, hospitals, safety net providers, community health centers, prenatal care providers, pharmacy network, dentists, local public health, and school-based clinics.

Readiness and implementation, including requirements prior to operation, readiness reviews, and corrective actions.

Care coordination and case management, including medical home, disease management programs, identification and stratification of high-cost and high-risk cases, beneficiary education and information, and provider education and information, referrals and care follow-up, and monitoring and formative evaluation.

Service coordination, including (a) collaboration, coordination, referrals, and information sharing among and between primary care providers and specialists and between physical health and behavioral health providers; (b) transition of new enrollees; (c) coordination of pharmacy services; (d) coordination of dental services; (e) coordination with long-term care services (institutional and home and community-based alternatives); (f) for dual eligibles, coordination with Medicare fee-for-service providers, Medicare Advantage plans, and Medicare Part D drug plans; (g) coordination with state and local health agencies, (h) children in state custody; and (i) and response to public health emergencies and disasters.

Marketing, including marketing guidelines, prohibited marketing and advertising practices, and state review of marketing materials.

Quality management and improvement, including quality improvement committee, quality measures and other indicators of performance, pay for performance and other incentives, evidenced-based medicine, clinical practice guidelines, performance improvement projects and studies, identification and reduction of disparities, NCQA accreditation (if state requires or prefers), and HEDIS (i.e., the 71 HEDIS measures, CAHPS 4.0, and participation in NCQA's Quality Compass).

Utilization management, including prior authorization for covered services, referrals, exception processing, second opinions, provider profiling, and member profiling.

Member relations, including state review of member materials, reading-level standard, identification cards, toll-free hotline, member handbook, provider directory, member newsletter, correspondence handling, interpreter and translation services, staff training, and cultural competency.

Member rights, including requirements, processes, and safeguards for complaints, grievances, and appeals.

Provider relations, including provider services, toll-free hotline, member eligibility verification, web-based information, provider handbook and instructions, provider training and education, claims assistance, and provider complaints.

Program integrity, including identification, investigation, and reporting of suspected fraud or abuse by providers, suppliers, or members; anti-fraud training of staff and subcontractors; compliance officer; compliance plan; and cooperation with federal and State authorities.

Reporting, including routine and special reporting requirements regarding implementation; eligibility, enrollment, and disenrollment; care coordination, case management, and disease management; encounters; specialized services; provider network, provider agreements, and provider participation; service coordination; provider payments; quality management and improvement activities; HEDIS; utilization management activities; member relations and education services; member complaints, grievances, and appeals; provider complaints; marketing activities; provider relations services; financial management reports; claims management; information systems and data; fraud and abuse; subcontractor related reports; HIPAA compliance reports; non-discrimination compliance; corrective actions; personnel changes; and legal actions.

Financial management, including capitation payment management, profit and loss, solvency, working capital, accounting requirements, financial disclosure, disclosure of ownership, independent audits, internal audit function, third party liability, and liability insurance coverage.

Claims management, including capabilities of claims processing system, electronic and paper-based claims formats, prompt payment, payment cycles, claims processing methodology requirements, claim payment accuracy, minimum edit and audit procedures, explanation of benefits (EOB) functions, remittance advice functions, correction of payment errors, tracking and reporting, claims dispute resolution, third party claims functions (coordinating with third party payors, cost avoidance, recovery), and cross-over functions.

Information systems and data, including information systems and data integration, information systems performance (availability, problem management, backup, disaster recovery), data and document management and retention; encounter data system (submission, processing, auditing, reporting); eligibility and enrollment system and related data exchanges; information system security and access management; system testing and change management; technical support capabilities and system user training and support; and information system and data documentation.

Governance, management, and personnel, including licensure, board of directors, management control and capacity, staffing requirements, State right to approve personnel and subcontractors, and non-discrimination.

Monitoring, including availability and retention of records, inspection of facilities, inspection of work performed and work products, accessibility and cooperation, independent reviewers, federal review, and corrective actions.

Other administrative requirements, including HIPAA compliance and medical records requirements.

In addition, states include a variety of other process and compliance related requirements and safeguards in contract language.

Many of my clients ask me how Medicaid policy is made, particularly for coverage, reimbursement, and managed care and other delivery systems. The $360 billion Medicaid program is highly complex and there are many nuances and exceptions, but here is a high-level primer on the basics.

Given the Medicaid program's shared federal-state funding and governance, underlying complexity, and variability across the respective states, Medicaid policy is set through several distinct vehicles, some federal and some state.

Medicaid Policy Making by Federal Government:

The primary federal policy making vehicles are:

Federal Medicaid Statutes:

Title XIX of the Social Security Act provides the federal statutory framework for Medicaid nationwide. Like its Medicare counterpart, Title XIX is extraordinarily complex and frequently amended by Congress. The federal Medicaid statutes are a mix of mandates and options for states. Medicaid legislative changes are often accomplished through budget reconciliation bills rather than separate stand-alone legislation. Short-term fixes may be made through appropriations bills.

Federal Medicaid Rules:

The vast bulk of federal Medicaid rules are promulgated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As with Medicare rules, CMS must follow the rulemaking process required by federal Administrative Procedures Act (APA) and the same clearance process. Most proposed and final rules affecting Medicaid are drafted by staff in CMS' Center for Medicaid and State Operations (CMSO), with legal advice from the HHS Office of General Counsel (OGC). Before publication in the Federal Register, proposed and final rules require approval of the HHS Secretary and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB's Medicaid rule reviews are conducted primarily by the Medicaid Branch in OMB's Health Division but coordinated through OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.

Federal Medicaid Guidance:

CMS uses several mechanisms to make or clarify Medicaid policy through "sub-regulatory guidance." This includes CMS' State Medicaid Manual and an important and influential ad hoc series of letters to State Medicaid directors - both issued by CMSO.

Federal law requires formal rulemaking for most substantive policy making, including interpretations of federal statutes. However, CMS often sets policy administratively, either in lieu of or far in advance of formal rule making. For example, if Congress makes significant changes to Title XIX with a tight deadline for implementation, CMS often issue a guidance letter or directive months in advance of issuing necessary conforming regulations. CMS must perform a balancing act to comply with the intent of APA and still implement frequent changes enacted by Congress or expected by the White House or HHS Secretary.

Officially, letters to State Medicaid directors (SMDs) are not intended to make policy per se but many states and experts believe some of these SMD letters make policy that requires formal rulemaking. Under a new Executive Order, OMB now has the authority to review and approve CMS guidance. This is consistent with its longstanding authority to review rules and waivers and a response to growing use of sub-regulatory issuances by agencies across the Executive Branch. OMB's new role continues to evolve.

Federal Medicaid Waivers:

Under sections 1115 and 1915 of the Social Security Act, the HHS Secretary may waive a variety of federal statutes and rules to permit state Medicaid programs to change benefit packages, eligibility, cost sharing, and care delivery in ways not permitted by current law. For my recent primer on federal Medicaid and Medicare waivers, click here.

Medicaid Policy Making by States:

The state-level policy making mechanisms in Medicaid are:

Medicaid State Plan:

Each state Medicaid program has its own "State Plan," which serves as the funding agreement between the state Medicaid agency and CMS. The State Plan specifies all of the state's key policies on Medicaid eligibility, benefits, cost sharing, reimbursement, managed care, quality assurance, utilization management, and program integrity. Here's an example of a Medicaid State Plan.

State Plans are highly detailed (typically 1000-2000 or more pages in length) and subject to frequent revision to reflect changes in federal law or rules, CMS guidance, state policy choices, and court rulings. State Plan Amendments (SPAs) are drafted by the state Medicaid agency and submitted to CMS for approval. Many SPAs are routine, following "preprints" - boilerplate checklists that allow states to propose SPAs needed to conform the State Plan to federal mandatory policies or common practices already approved for other states. States don't have to follow the preprints but it makes routine SPAs much easier. The state publishes a prior public notice for each SPA.

Routine SPAs are handled by the CMS regional offices but CMSO's central office staff in Baltimore handles all major and controversial SPAs. CMS may ask questions and may deny SPAs that it determines fail to comply with federal requirements. If an SPA rejected, the state may appeal CMS' decision to the HHS Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) and thereafter to the federal courts.

State Statutes and Administrative Rules:

Each state also sets some degree of Medicaid policy through state statutes and administrative rules. States vary widely in the degree to which state Medicaid policies are set forth in statutes or rules. Most states set eligibility, benefit packages, and cost sharing in statute and/or rules. Other policies, such as specific reimbursement methodologies and rates, are sometimes set administratively by the state Medicaid agency through manuals and instructions to providers. The basic parameters of hospital and nursing home payment formulars are often set in state statute. Still other policies are made through the state budget process or contracting mechanisms, such as managed care RFPs and Medicaid health plan contracts.

However, some states, specify a considerable amount of Medicaid policy through rules. While state Medicaid rules are drafted and promulgated by the state Medicaid agency, some states require legislative committee review and approval of all rules. (Note that regardless what is addressed in state statutes or rules, the State Plan must reflect the latest policies.)

Federal waivers are powerful tools to demonstrate Medicare or Medicaid reforms, including new payment methods, benefit packages, and delivery systems. The business and policy opportunities are considerable. Here's a quick primer.

Demonstration Waivers:

Historically, federal policymakers have understood the need to test new ideas in the complex Medicare and Medicaid programs. Research and demonstrations projects - whether initiated by states, health services researchers, providers, health plans, CMS, or Congress - often lead to models or reforms available or mandated nationwide.

Therefore, federal law permits the Secretary of Health and Human Services to waive certain provisions of the Social Security Act and associated regulations as needed to conduct demonstration projects in Medicare, Medicaid, or both Medicare and Medicaid. Waivers are purely discretionary unless legislation mandates a specific project.

Medicaid Waivers under Section 1115:

Section 1115 of the Social Security Act is the principal waiver authority in Medicaid. The HHS Secretary may waive most federal requirements regarding Medicaid benefit packages, eligibility, cost sharing, managed care, and other care delivery. A Medicaid demonstration may be statewide or for only a portion of the state (select counties). (States may also request similar waivers of federal law to reform SCHIP.)

Ostensively, Medicaid waiver projects are research-oriented and intended to test the merits of a new reform(s) not permitted under current law. However, in practice, many Medicaid "demonstrations" are or soon evolve into indefinite, alternative models of Medicaid. Although under no obligation to do so, the HHS Secretary may approve similar or even identical waivers for multiple states.

Medicaid waivers must be requested by the state Medicaid agency, with the approval of the governor. Federal officials may encourage states to propose waivers and Congress occasionally enacts legislation calling for waivers to demonstrate specific reforms. However, the vast majority of Medicaid waiver-based projects are initiated and designed by state governments, often with the assistance of outside experts.

Once approved, Medicaid demonstration projects are operated by the state Medicaid agency, with oversight by CMS. The state may contract with third parties, such as health plans or other contractors, but s. 1115 demonstrations remain part of Medicaid and therefore the state is also responsible for the demonstration project.

Roughly speaking, between a quarter and a third of Medicaid spending operates under s. 1115 waivers instead of standard Medicaid statutes and rules.

Medicare Waivers under Sections 402/222:

Under Sections 402/222, the HHS Secretary may waive Medicare statutes and rules to demonstrate new approaches to provider reimbursement, including tests of alternative payment methodologies, demos of new delivery systems, and coverage of additional services to improve the overall efficiency of Medicare. (Sections 402/222 refer to section 402[a] of the Social Security Amendments of 1967, as amended by section 222[a] of the Social Security Amendments of 1972.)

Medicare demonstrations may be national or limited to certain states, regions, populations, provider types, or even providers or plans designated in advance. They may also be limited in other ways, such as capped in number of participating beneficiaries or providers. Unlike Medicaid demonstrations, participation in Medicare demonstrations, whether by beneficiaries or providers, is rarely mandatory and then only if required by a Congressional mandate.

Any organization or individual may propose a Medicare waiver project. This includes providers, health plans, state Medicaid agencies, and health services researchers. CMS maintains an open invitation for outside parties to propose Medicare demonstration projects and the necessary waivers. However, the bulk of Medicare waiver-based demo projects are congressionally mandated in legislation or initiated administratively by CMS. CMS-initiated Medicare demonstration projects are often developed at the behest of the HHS Secretary, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), or the Office of the Inspector General.

Unlike many Medicaid waiver-based projects, most Medicare waiver projects tend to be genuine demonstrations projects with a careful research design and evaluation methodology. Given this research emphasis, requests to replicate currently operating Medicare demonstrations are often denied unless a research value can be shown.

Occasionally, ss. 402/222 authority is used to issue what CMS informally calls "operational waivers." These later waivers are often made to address emergencies or fix short-term operational problems (e.g., provider payments after a natural disaster, reimburse states for drug payments during Medicare Part D transition).

Once approved, Medicare waiver projects are administered by CMS either directly, through contractors (e.g., Medicare administrative contractors, Medicare Advantage plans), or (rarely) through states. Except for operational waivers, CMS evaluates each demonstration projects. Major Medicare demonstrations, including congressionally mandated projects, are evaluated by independent health services researchers hired by CMS. CMS' budget for evaluations is small, with congressionally mandated demonstrations using most of the available funding. This, coupled with the administrative burden of designing, operating, and monitoring waivers, tends to limit the number of Medicare waivers CMS is able to consider.

Combined Medicare-Medicaid Projects:

States may propose demonstration projects involving the waiver of both Medicaid and Medicare statutes and rules. Combining the authority offered by s. 1115 (Medicaid) and ss. 402/222 (Medicare), the HHS Secretary is able to consider an array of Medicare-Medicaid demonstration ideas, most notably state-wide or regional initiatives changing care delivery, benefit packages, and service reimbursement for dual eligibles.

Examples of combined Medicare-Medicaid waiver projects include:

Historically rarer than Medicaid-only and Medicare-only demonstrations, combined waiver-based projects are increasingly popular as states develop integrated care models for dual eligibles and managed long-term care models. A variety of other activities by policymakers and the marketplace have also dramatically increased interest in and practicality of combined waiver demonstrations. These include the advent and popularity of Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (MA-SNPs), advances in risk adjustment methodologies and quality measurement, sharing of best practices, and collaborations among influential states, foundations, thought leaders, think tanks, and CMS.

Waiver Application Process:

Applications for Medicare or Medicaid waivers must include project scope and objectives, the specific statutes and rules to be waived, spending and enrollment projections, research design, evaluation plan, and details on safeguards appropriate to the project (e.g., quality, access, appeal rights).

Applications for s. 1115 Medicaid waivers are submitted to the HHS Secretary or CMS Administrator and reviewed by the CMS Center for Medicaid and State Operations (CMSO). Other CMS offices - such as the Office of Research, Development and Information (ORDI) - may provide technical advice to CMSO.

Proposals for Medicare waiver projects are submitted to the HHS Secretary or CMS Administrator and reviewed by the Office of Research, Development and Information (ORDI) and the affected operating center: the Center for Medicare Management for projects related to fee-for-service Part A or Part B and the Center for Drug and Health Plan Choice for Medicare Advantage or Part D related projects.

The Medicare and Medicaid Cost Estimates Group in the CMS Office of the Actuary (OACT) estimates the fiscal impact of proposed Medicaid and Medicare waivers.

Proposals for combined Medicaid-Medicaid waivers are naturally reviewed by several units of CMS, with a center, a cross-agency team, or the Administrator's office taking responsibility for coordinating the review. The particulars vary and are highly situational.

Waiver Approval Process:

Waiver applications - particularly the details of s. 1115 Medicaid waivers and combined Medicare-Medicaid demonstrations - are subject to complex and often lengthy negotiations. Given the technical complexity and policy and fiscal implications of Medicaid or combined Medicare-Medicaid waiver requests, specialized consultants often support senior state staff during CMS negotiations. Senior federal and state officials often weigh in during negotiations. This may include active participation by the HHS Secretary, CMS Administrator, Governor, and State Medicaid Director.

Every proposed Medicaid or Medicare waiver program must be budget neutral to the federal government. That is, Medicaid or Medicare under the requested waivers must be projected to cost the applicable federal program no more than expected spending without the waivers. By tradition, proposed Medicare-Medicaid demonstrations may not claim federal savings in one program to offset higher federal costs in the other.

While not required by federal law, the last four Administrations have enforced the policy expectation that all waivers are determined to be budget neutral prior to approval. The budget neutrality requirement applies only during the review process. Unless the waiver includes a cap on the federal share of spending, there is no fiscal penalty if a demonstration is ultimately not budget neutral.

There is no set methodology - economic or actuarial - for determining federal budget neutrality. Successful Medicaid waiver negotiations are highly dependent on a state's ability to demonstrate budget neutrality to the satisfaction of federal officials, particularly to CMS actuaries and White House budget staff. Modeling budget neutrality often requires a rigorous mix of creative policy work and analytically sound forecasting. Political priorities and imperatives - together with caution regarding setting new precedents - often informally influence waiver negotiations and assessments of budget neutrality.

Authority to issue waivers under s. 1115 and ss. 402/222 rests with the HHS Secretary. However, all Medicaid and Medicare waivers, regardless of size and scope, require the prior review and approval of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB may require changes, additional terms and conditions, or reject the proposed waivers.

Once approved, waivers include specific terms and conditions negotiated with CMS. These vary considerably, depending on the nature of the demonstration.

Medicaid demonstrations are typically approved for an initial five-year period. Thereafter, they may be renewed ever three years indefinitely. Renewals must be budget neutral and receive OMB approval.

Medicare waiver projects initiated by CMS are typically operated for three or five years, depending on how much time is needed to test the policy change. Congressionally mandated waivers vary in length, with most three to five years in length and some indefinite.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) - the influential independent Congressional agency charged with advising Congress on a wide range of Medicare policy issues - has released its Medicare payment policy recommendations for 2009. The 355-page report includes a weath of information for those tracking Medicare provider or health plan issues, particularly annual provider payment updates, reforms to Medicare Advantage, and quality incentives.

In summary, here are MedPAC's recommendations to Congress:

Hospital Inpatient and Outpatient Services:

Physician Services:

Outpatient Dialysis Services:

Skilled Nursing Facility Services:

Home Health Services:

Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Services:

Long-Term Care Hospital Services:

Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans:

Part D Enrollment, Benefit Offerings, and Drug Plan Payments:

Medicare Savings Programs and Part D Low-Income Drug Subsidy:

To read the full MedPAC report, click here (large PDF file).

When it comes to innovation in health coverage, finance, and purchasing, states are the most likely innovators. The role states can play as laboratories of reform is a key advantage of our Federalist system of government. Right now, as many states find themselves in a strong fiscal condition, states are taking the lead in expanding health coverage, reforming market dynamics, and transforming Medicaid.

As with any kind innovation, states play different roles and vary in their ability and interest in adopting a particular innovation in coverage, financing, or care delivery. Some states will play the role of genuine innovators, while others will follow the leaders. Still others will take their time and a few will lag well behind the field.

You can see this play out in Medicaid managed care, where a few states like Wisconsin, Arizona, and Minnesota are serial innovators. Several other states follow their lead fairly quickly. And a few states, notably states like Mississippi, Illinois, and Alabama, tend to lag well behind the country.

Studies on the diffusion of innovation may be helpful to businesses, wonks, advocates, and others as they try to understand, navigate, influence, and ultimately take advantage of state health reforms.

Experts in the diffusion of innovation say that adopters of any particular new idea or approach can be reliably categorized into five groups:

Innovators: About 2.5% of players (individuals, businesses, or, in our context here, states) are the true innovators. They tend to be adventurous, open to new ideas, decisive, willing to take risks, highly educated, well versed in best practices, and connected to best sources of information.

Early Adopters: Studies say that early adopters are about 13.5% of a market. They are typically popular among their peers, smart, well educated. They are less creative, less venturesome than the innovators but are fairly decisive and like to ride the leading edge, gaining what they can from advances.

Early Majority: About 34% are deliberate in assessing a new idea. They take their time, prefer others to take the lead in advancing business or policy, and are more informally connected to thought leaders and mavens.

Late Majority: Late Majority players, also about 34% of population, are skeptics and traditionalists. With fewer resources, less internal expertise, and more moderate education, they are risk adverse, rather indecisive, and extremely cautious in adopting, implementing, and evaluating new ideas.

Laggards: About 16% are true laggards, often in every sense of the word. They are highly risk adverse, isolated from best practices and their peers, and conservative by instinct. They are often not so much indecisive as they are indifferent or nonplused by decision making.

Applying this to the world of states and health reform, we are likely to see about 3 states playing role as genuine innovators and another 7 states as quick adopters. Another 34 states will take more time, either in adopting an innovation as policy or in implementing it locally. Finally, about 8 states will likely do little or nothing. Of course, a state that is an innovator in one policy domain - like managed care - may be a follower in some other area like coverage expansion. And we should not underestimate the impact of leadership - a new governor or new Medicaid director - on moving a state from late player to innovator.

If you are a business interested in new opportunities created by state health reforms or a trade group or advocate interested in influencing state health policies, you need to know which states are the innovators or early adopters and which are the late players or laggards. Even if you are not interested in an innovator state's local market, you need to understand that state's role in influencing what other states will do. Working closely with the innovators and early adopters can generate invaluable market intelligence and lead to unique, powerful position as reforms move across the country.

To learn more, please visit my list of recommended reading on innovation.

In health policy, bad ideas never go away. Case in point is the proposal in California to require that health plans spend at least 85% of premium revenue on provider payments. Specifically, as part of his $12 billion Stay Healthy California package of reforms, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proposes to set a new minimum medical loss ratio for health plans.

In a nutshell, a health insurer's medical loss ratio (MLR) is an accounting construct and relative differences from one health plan to another has absolutely nothing to do with affordability of premiums, access to care, quality of care, patient satisfaction, adequacy of provider networks, or virtually anything else of interest to policy makers.

Further, it is based on a staggering array of faulty assumptions about health care delivery, insurance markets, and the uninsured, and ignorance of the difference between price and value. And artificial medical loss ratio standards result in many unintended consequences, including less competition, fewer consumer options, pushing more people into taxpayer-financed Medicaid and SCHIP, and restricting resources needed to improve quality and reduce medical errors.

Jamie Robinson, Ph.D., professor of economics and chair of the health policy program at the University of California, Berkeley, put it best in a definitive article in Health Affairs:

The medical loss ratio is an accounting monstrosity that enthralls the unsophisticated observer and distorts the policy discourse.

Juxtaposition of low medical loss ratio with forprofit status has fed the flames of HMO bashing but is completely without substance.

Thanks to the hard work of Secretary Kim Belshe and her excellent team, Governor Schwarzenegger's health reform initiative has many components worthy of serious consideration. However, further regulation of medical loss ratios - a long discredited idea that will only hinder the Governor's coverage objectives - is not one of them.

The $7 billion State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is up for reauthorization in Congress this year. SCHIP, which began in October 1997, now covers over four million Americans, primarily children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford commercial health insurance coverage.

Popular with both Democrats and Republicans, SCHIP is certain to be reauthorized by Congress. However, members of Congress differ on whether and to what extent SCHIP should be expanded, how much to increase federal funding, whether SCHIP should be reserved for truly low income children or open to more moderate income families, and whether SCHIP should be used as a vehicle to expand coverage to uninsured workers. In addition, there remain serious questions about how much taxpayer-funded SCHIP has crowded out employer-sponsored coverage.

The policy issues and design options are many. Ultimately, the battle over SCHIP is a microcosm of the larger national debate on what government can or should do about the uninsured, the role of individual and employer responsibility, what is "affordable", what is an adequate package of covered benefits, and much more.

Overview of SCHIP:

Each state, within broad federal guidelines, determines the design of its own program, including eligibility, benefit design, cost sharing, and operating procedures. States may operate SCHIP separately or in conjunction with Medicaid. SCHIP benefits are delivered primarily through health plans under contract with states.

On a federal level, SCHIP is governed by Title XXI of the Social Security Act. However, several states have requested and received Section 1115 waivers to redesign the SCHIP eligibility, cost sharing, and/or benefits.

Unlike Medicaid, which is largely an open-ended entitlement, states may cap SCHIP enrollment and federal funds for SCHIP are capped. This year, unless Congress increases aggregate federal funds for SCHIP, about 16 states may need to either cap enrollment or appropriate additional state funds to maintain the program.

Budget Challenge of Funding Children's Health Coverage:

The best guess is Congress will need to increase the federal cap on SCHIP funding by $12 billion to $15 billion over the next five years to maintain coverage for the four million now enrolled. (During the year, about six million receive coverage at some point and about four million are covered at any given point in time.) Absent either a big increase in the federal cap or a big jump in state-only appropriations to SCHIP, about one million kids will lose coverage.

Resources to Understand SCHIP:

Here are several excellent resources to better understand the State Children's Health Insurance Program:

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at HHS has released its 93-page work plan for FY 2007. The OIG plans to examine nearly 100 issues in Medicaid, with particular attention on:

1. Medicaid reimbursement of hospitals, nursing homes, managed care organizations, home and community-based care, and mental health providers.

2. Medicaid prescription drug benefit issues, including pharmaceutical industry practices affecting pricing and rebates.

3. Financing practices used by states, most notably provider taxes, certified public expenditures, and upper payment limit issues.

4. Budget neutrality of Medicaid waivers, specifically Section 1115 Medicaid reform waivers and Section 1915 waivers for managed care or home- and community-based care programs.

Role and Influence of OIG in Medicaid:

The federal government has significantly increased staffing at both CMS and the OIG to review or audit state Medicaid agencies, Medicaid providers, drug manufacturers, and Medicaid managed care organizations. This, in turn, has increased the number, diversity, and complexity of Medicaid issues under review by the two federal agencies.

OIG studies and evaluations often help states learn about ways to improve Medicaid program efficiency. They also help CMS target its limited resources. OIG reports also provide valuable insights on best practices and program innovations. And, of course, OIG reports can lead to recommendations that CMS recover federal funds from states or recoup payments from providers.

Part of the OIG's work plan focuses on checking to ensure that CMS, states, or providers are compliant with newly enacted or even long standing federal requirements. Other projects will look to see whether inappropriate or questionable practices recently found in a few locations are isolated cases or indications of a broader, national problem in Medicaid.

However, several of the OIG's Medicaid related projects for 2007 will look at controversial Medicaid policy issues such as whether waivers approved by the Secretary of HHS are budget neutral and if some states are using Medicaid to pay for non-emergency care for illegal immigrants.

Medicaid Hospital Payments:

In the hospital arena, the OIG will look at the reasonableness of cost outlier payments for inpatient admissions, state compliance with OBRA '93 limits on disproportionate share hospital payments, and whether states are correctly determining hospital eligibility for disproportionate share payments.

Medicaid Long-Term Care Services:

The OIG intends to look more closely at home and community-based services. For example, the OIG will examine whether states are inadvertently paying for home and community-based services after a beneficiary's death or during a hospitalization. They are also looking at whether certain states are improperly claiming federal match on state costs of administering home and community-based waiver programs. As I mentioned earlier, they are also evaluating whether home and community-based waiver programs are budget neutral. That is, whether they are no more costly than nursing home care.

Elsewhere in Medicaid long-term care, the OIG plans to study state determinations of nursing home eligibility and the adequacy of state safeguards against improper asset transfers. They also want to know if states are recovering funds from estates as required by federal law. In addition, they plan to study possible duplicate payments to nursing homes and hospitals. Specifically, they want to get a handle on whether some hospitals are being paid for patients already discharged to a nursing home and if nursing homes are being paid while a beneficiary is a hospital inpatient. Further, the OIG plans to see if some home care providers were improperly paid for care provided to residents of assisted living facilities. The OIG also has projects to examine the appropriateness of Medicaid payments to personal care providers and physical and occupational therapists.

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services:

Mental health and substance abuse services and providers are also coming under greater scrutiny. For example, the OIG is looking at the appropriateness of Medicaid payments for community mental health centers, outpatient clinics, day treatment programs, inpatient and outpatient alcohol and drug treatment, and community residencies for persons with mental disabilities.

Medicaid Drug Costs:

The OIG work plan for FY 2007 naturally includes a long list of projects looking at Medicaid prescription drug costs. This includes reviews of how drug companies determine average manufacturer price (AMP) and the adequacy of CMS' oversight of Medicaid drug rebates. Other OIG studies will assess drug price fluctuations and whether states overpay for drugs to treat HIV.

Medicaid Managed Care:

The OIG work plan also calls for several evaluations of issues affecting Medicaid managed care organizations (MMCOs). For example, the OIG wants to know if some states are inappropriately paying Medicaid MCOs for dual eligibles and if states are paying fee-for-service claims for beneficiaries covered under Medicaid health plans. The OIG also intends to examine the completeness and accuracy of encounter data submitted by Medicaid MCOs.

State Administration of Medicaid:

The Office of the Inspector General is also eager to evaluate a wide range of issues regarding day-to-day administration of Medicaid by states. Again, the list of target issues is long. For example, the OIG work plan includes projects to examine state administrative costs, program integrity efforts, information systems, administrative claiming by counties, state overrides of claims system edits and audits, revenue maximization practices, and third party collections.

To Learn More:

Those are just some of the Medicaid related topics the OIG plans to study in FY 2007. Most of the OIG projects will likely result in a public report in 2007. To read the full work plan, click here (PDF).

As part of a larger, federal government-wide congressionally mandated initiative to reduce inappropriate payments, CMS has published its final rule on Medicaid / SCHIP payment error rate measurement. As expected, it represents a significant expansion of federal oversight of day-to-day state Medicaid operations and of the lives of Medicaid providers and Medicaid managed care organizations.

Medicaid Payment Error Rate Measurement:

The Medicaid Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) initiative is a complicated process but means that every state will undergo a detailed examination of paid claims, capitation payments, reimbursement and premium policies, coding, and more. States must turn over vast amounts of data every quarter, plus virtually everything else on rates, policies, and claims processing edits and audits.

CMS will hire a series of new contractors to examine all this, run samples, and identify errors. CMS will then set maximum acceptable error rates (based on what it or its contractors determine is an "error") and then state must take corrective action. These corrective actions could include recovering payments, changing reimbursement policies, and revising claims processing requirements.

States Targeted for Federal Review:

States will rotate, with each state going through the entire process every three years. The states selected for the first round (FY 2006) are Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Minnesota, Arkansas, Connecticut, New Mexico, Virginia, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Wyoming, Kansas, Idaho, Delaware.

Second round states (FY 2007) are North Carolina, Georgia, California, Massachusetts, Tennessee, New Jersey, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Alabama, South Carolina, Colorado, Utah, Vermont, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Rhode Island. Third round states (FY 2008) are New York, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Indiana, Mississippi, Iowa, Maine, Oregon, Arizona, Washington, District of Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, South Dakota, Nevada.

Opportunities and Challenges:

If CMS manages the process well and works cooperatively with states, the PERM may help (1) save taxpayer dollars, (2) improve the operations of the less sophisticated state Medicaid programs, (3) showcase the best run Medicaid shops and best fiscal agents, (4) help CMS develop greater respect for the hard work of states, (5) identify inappropriate provider practices across state lines, (6) facilitate comparative research and analysis of Medicaid, and (6) allow CMS and states identify, build, and share best practices.

However, PERM raises many practical concerns, especially given the enormous complexity of Medicaid and wide technical and programmatic variation among state Medicaid programs. Even if a state has a low error rate, the administrative burden could be intense, with a steep learning curve for CMS and the new federal contractors and endless arguments among the parties on what is or is not a genuine error. For states with high error rates, the implications include need to update systems, modernize procedures, redirect or replace fiscal agents, change payment and claims procedures, and much more. And add to this, controversial recoveries of federal dollars from states and providers.

Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (MA-SNPs) are a fast growing innovation in the marketplace. A new Medicare managed care option created under the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA), MA-SNPs are able to tailor plan designs and delivery to serve the needs of dual eligibles, beneficiaries in nursing homes or at risk of institutionalization, and beneficiaries with chronic, severe conditions.

For CY 2006, there are 276 federally approved MA-SNPs with an enrollment of over 500,000. More insurers are jumping in to offer Special Needs Plans in 2007 and others are moving to market the new plans to millions of high-cost, high-need Medicare beneficiaries. Given this competition and the many advantages of MA-SNPs for dual eligibles and other chronically ill beneficiaries, MA-SNP should exceed one million in 2007 and two million in 2008.

As I reported earlier, states and CMS are working to dovetail Medicare's requirements for MA-SNPs and state and federal requirements for Medicaid managed care organizations (MMCOs). The objective is to provide states with an exciting new voluntary option to integrate health care for the nation's 6.3 million dual eligibles.

In close collaboration with the National Association of State Medicaid Directors (NASMD), CMS has released a new guide for states on integrating Medicaid and Medicare services and a series of how-to guides on integrating enrollment, marketing, and quality assurance.

To learn more about MA-SNPs or integrated Medicare-Medicaid health plans, check out my earlier posts or contact me for more resources.

In the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), Congress authorized the new $150 million Medicaid Transformation Grant Program to help states design and implement reforms to increase quality and efficiency of Medicaid. This is a unique opportunity to help states restructure and modernize Medicaid, save taxpayer dollars, and improve services. But states must act fast to take advantage.

State Medicaid agencies may submit grant proposals to CMS by September 15, 2006. For grants, CMS has a total budget of $75 million in FFY 2007 and another $75 million in FFY 2008. The amount of each grant will vary and will depend on the number of applications received. State matching funds are not required.

While states have wide discretion in proposing projects and may propose multiple projects in a single grant application, CMS is encouraging states to look at ways to improve Medicaid program operations and efficiency.

In the area of improving Medicaid program efficiency, CMS is particularly interested in grant projects to:

CMS is also interested in projects to improve the effectiveness of Medicaid. Examples include projects on:

In the arena of improved care delivery, CMS is particularly interested in grant proposals to:

This is a unique, one-time opportunity for states but, with grant applications due in six weeks, the timeline is tight. States needing help or advice in writing an application may contact me or my friends at Sellers Feinberg for assistance.

The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released new Medicaid spending projections, showing a significantly lower rate of growth. Nationally, while federal Medicare costs continue to rise dramatically and far faster than medical inflation, Medicaid spending growth has moderated considerably.

Twice each year, OMB releases its latest projections of federal revenues and expenditures. Projections are announced in February as part of the President's proposed budget and updated in July as part of what's called the Mid-Session Review. Falling in the middle of each year's Congressional session, the Mid-Session Review gives Capitol Hill the Administration's latest fiscal projections.

For Medicaid, OMB works with CMS budget staff and actuaries to update estimates of federal Medicaid spending in the current fiscal year and for the next five years. They rely heavily on spending estimates and enrollment reports prepared by state Medicaid agencies.

From FY 2002 through FY 2005, the federal share of Medicaid grew at an average annual pace of 7.2 percent. Federal Medicaid spending is now expected to grow by a modest 1.8 percent this year (FY 2006) and by 4.6 percent in FY 2007.

Compared to earlier estimates, aggregate federal spending on Medicaid is now expected to be 8 percent lower. Specifically, the new projections of federal Medicaid spending for FY 2007 through FY 2016 are $53.3 billion lower than the projections contained in the President's 2007 Budget.

Naturally, Medicaid spending growth varies widely from state to state. However, 16 states now expect to spend less on Medicaid this year than last year. States with flat or negative Medicaid spending growth this year include Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. Medicaid spending in large states - most notably Florida and California - continues to grow but at a much lower pace.

While some of this slowed growth in the federal share of Medicaid is an artifact of the shift of prescription drug benefits for dual eligibles from Medicaid to Medicare Part D, slower spending growth is a byproduct of a variety of factors. These include improved economic conditions, cost containment initiatives, new waiver-based programs, greater use of private health plans, increased use of generic drugs, and the steady shift away from nursing homes to home and community-based programs.

As we reported earlier, CMS is considering new rules to restrict state use of provider taxes and cut back on Medicaid payments to publicly owned providers and facilities. The new OMB figures give states, provider groups, and advocates new ammunition to oppose this and other Bush Administration efforts to cut federal Medicaid spending. It also highlights the effectiveness of state-based initiatives to reform Medicaid - that is, reforms that are initiated by states themselves but with federal support and cooperation.

While OMB's new Medicaid projections are good news for states and the feds, the new Medicare projections show faster spending growth in Medicare Part A and Part B. The five-year cost estimate for Medicare Part A (inpatient hospital and post-acute care) is $17 billion higher. The five-year cost estimate for Medicare Part B (physician and other outpatient services) is $30 billion higher. The jump in Medicare Part A and Part B growth rates are largely attributable to rapid increases in per capita use of services.

However, because of stiff price competition among drug plans and a slower than expected sign-up rate, the five-year cost estimate for Medicare Part D is $34 billion lower than the projections last February. For FY 2006 through FY 2016, the projected cost of the new Medicare drug benefit is $76 billion lower.

Medicare's high growth rate increases pressure on Congress and the White House to reform Part A and Part B. In addition to putting greater pressure on the federal budget, higher Medicare costs also mean big, politically tough jumps in beneficiary cost sharing (e.g., the 11% increase in Part B premiums for 2007). And of course, state Medicaid programs are on the hook to pay for Medicare cost sharing for dual eligibles and other low-income Medicare beneficiaries. Bottom line: because so much of state Medicaid budgets are now driven by the health care costs of dual eligibles, higher Medicare costs and utilization can increase state Medicaid costs.

For better or worse, a byproduct of Medicare's problems may be to divert attention from Medicaid inside the Beltway. However, federal money is fungible (especially in the hunt for budget savings) and states continue to press for greater flexibility. For many on Capitol Hill and in the Bush Administration, fiscal frustrations with Medicare are part of larger frustrations with federal entitlements. So even with slow growth in the near-term, Medicaid remains in the spotlight.

Using new flexibility created by the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), states may restructure Medicaid benefits. States may now customize Medicaid health care benefits to specific populations, model some benefit package after commercial-like health plans, and offer additional benefits as incentives to reward healthier patient behavior.

Based on the concept of benchmark benefit packages first used in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the new restructuring options are expected to save $11 billion over the next ten years (about $6 billion federal savings, $5 billion state savings) and ultimately affect 1.6 million Medicaid beneficiaries.

Kentucky, West Virginia, and Idaho are the first states to use the new options. With help from leading consultants, other states are exploring ways to use DRA flexibility to reform some benefit packages and section 1115 waivers to modernize Medicaid, contain costs, and expand coverage.

Here is a quick briefing on Medicaid benchmark coverage permitted under the DRA:

1. Through the state plan amendment (SPA) process, states may provide Medicaid benefits through benchmark or benchmark equivalent packages for children and some non-disabled adults. The benchmark packages would replace existing Medicaid benefits for the targeted populations.

2. The newly designed benefit packages may include wrap-around services or additional benefits not now covered by the state's Medicaid program. Every benchmark benefit package must cover Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) services for children under 19, federally qualified health center (FQHC) services, and rural health clinic services.

3. Benchmark coverage means the same health benefit package offered by (a) the state for state employees, (b) standard Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan offered under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Plan (FEHBP), (c) the state’s largest commercial HMO, or (d) other models approved by the HHS Secretary.

4. Benchmark-equivalent coverage means a package with the same actuarial value as one of the benchmark plans. If a state uses this route, benchmark-equivalent coverage must include (a) inpatient and outpatient hospital services, (b) physician services, (c) lab and x-ray services, (d) well child care and immunizations, and (e) other preventive services designated by the Secretary. For prescription drugs, mental health services, and hearing and vision services, a benchmark-equivalent package must provide at least 75 percent of the actuarial value of coverage. States must use generally accepted actuarial principles and methodologies.

5. States may only use benchmark or benchmark-equivalent packages to beneficiary groups already covered under the state Medicaid plan. Therefore, by itself, the DRA benchmark package option cannot be used to expand health coverage to new populations.

6. In addition, many beneficiary groups are exempt from benchmark coverage, including (a) dual eligibles, (b) persons with disabilities or special health care needs, (c) beneficiaries needing long-term care services, (d) foster care children, (d) pregnant women with federally mandated coverage, and (e) individuals eligible for Medicaid via the TANF welfare reform law.

Using new benefit design and cost-sharing options created by the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), states are busy restructuring Medicaid programs. With recently announced approvals from HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Idaho are the first states to take advantage of DRA flexibility.

With the help of top advisors, other states are working on their own Medicaid initiatives, using a mix of DRA options and creative Section 1115 waivers.

Here's a quick summary of the new Medicaid reforms in Kentucky, West Virginia, and Idaho:

Kentucky Medicaid Reform:

Kentucky will offer benefit packages aimed at meeting the health care needs of three different groups: (1) children, (2) the elderly and people with disabilities who need institutional care, and (3) the general Medicaid population.

Through four new benefit packages, Medicaid enrollees will be offered the most appropriate benefit plan based on their needs:

1. The Family Choices program will serve healthy children.

2. Comprehensive Choices and Optimum Choices will serve individuals with complex health care needs.

3. Global Choices, which is most similar to Kentucky's traditional Medicaid program, will serve other vulnerable populations.

Kentucky's Medicaid restructuring includes a new disease management program with special incentives to encourage healthier behavior by chronically ill beneficiaries. After successfully participating in a disease management program for one year, participants will be eligible for services not otherwise available, such as dental or vision services.

The Kentucky reform program will also help Medicaid recipients buy employer-sponsored coverage. If a beneficiary chooses their employer's plan instead of Medicaid, the state will help cover the premium.

West Virginia Medicaid Reform:

West Virginia will offer enrollees a choice of two benefit packages:

1. A Basic plan modeled after current Medicaid benefits.

2. An Enhanced plan that includes a broader range of health services in exchange for complying with all recommended medical treatment and wellness behaviors.

The new benefits under the Enhanced plan will include tobacco cessation, nutritional education, diabetes care, chemical dependency services, mental health services, cardiac rehabilitation, chiropractic services, and emergent dental services.

West Virginia's Enhanced plan will also cover skilled nursing care, orthotics, and prosthetics for children. Both the Basic and Enhanced plans will cover Early, Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) services for children.

To enroll in the Enhanced benefit, beneficiaries must sign a member agreement stating they will comply with all recommended medical treatment and wellness behaviors. The Basic plan - with the standard Medicaid package - is the default benefit for those who chose not to join the Enhanced plan or who decide they want to leave the Enhanced plan.

Idaho Medicaid Reform:

Idaho will offer three new benefit packages aimed at meeting the health care needs of different groups: children, people with disabilities, and beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare (aka dual eligibles).

All three new packages - Basic, Enhanced, and Coordinated - are voluntary. Any enrollee who chooses one of the new plans can opt out and return to standard Medicaid at any time they wish.

Here are some details on Idaho's three plans:

1. The Basic plan will serve healthy children and adults and will cover most of traditional Medicaid benefits, including EPSDT services for children. However, the Basic plan will not cover long-term care, organ transplants, and intensive mental health treatment.

2. The Enhanced plan is designed to serve individuals with more complex medical needs, most notably the elderly and disabled. The Enhanced plan will cover all the traditional Medicaid benefits, including long-term care. Beneficiaries enrolled in the Basic plan who need services not available in that plan will be moved to the Enhanced plan.

3. The Coordinated plan will serve dual eligibles. It will include all services now covered under Idaho's traditional Medicaid program. For coverage under the Coordinated plan, dual eligibles must also be enrolled in Medicare Part B and Part D.

Each of these benefit plans will include new preventive services, including nutrition services and other benefits to help smokers, the obese, and others adopt healthier habits.

Idaho's Medicaid restructuring includes several other important reforms:

1. The working disabled may purchase the basic benefit package.

2. Eligibility for children in Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) will be streamlined. This includes elimination of an asset test for some children.

3. Using SCHIP dollars, the state will help schools offer preventive health services to low-income children.

To learn about the Massachusetts health care reform initiative, here are two podcasts on this groundbreaking new program to cover virtually all the uninsured in the Commonwealth.

For Sellers, Feinberg and Associates, the lead consultants on the Massachusetts reform project, I host a biweekly podcast on hot issues in Medicaid. These concise audio briefings help state leaders and business executives keep tabs with Medicaid on Capitol Hill and CMS.

In Part 1 of the special audio briefing on the Massachusetts health reform initiative, Marty Sellers, President and founder of Sellers Feinberg, describes the key components of the Massachusetts initiative, how it was developed, and implications for other states and the healthcare market.

In Part 2, Peggy Handrich, the former Wisconsin Medicaid director and now leader of Sellers Feinberg's strategic Medicaid consulting practice, describes the key financial and programmatic characteristics of the Massachusetts health reform.

To listen directly on your computer, click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2. The podcasts are in the popular MP3 format, so you may also right-click to save and upload them to your iPod or other MP3 player for listening on the road.

For a useful two-page fact sheet on the Massachusetts health care reform plan, click here (PDF).

To subscribe to receive the free podcasts on Medicaid, please contact Sellers Feinberg. The folks there are working with a number of other states on health reform and Medicaid restructuring initiatives.

Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (MA-SNPs) are an important new innovation in the healthcare marketplace. Ultimately, as I reported last fall in the Piper Report, MA-SNPs may evolve to serve an untapped $250 billion market. Here's a quick briefing on Special Needs Plans and how they become integrated Medicaid / Medicare health plans:

Brief History of Medicare Managed Care:

Since 1970's, Medicare has included an HMO option as alternative to receiving all Medicare Part A and Part B services from traditional fee-for-service Medicare. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) renamed Medicare managed care to "Medicare+Choice" and added a new range of options for Medicare beneficiaries: preferred provider organizations (PPOs), provider-sponsored organizations (PSOs), private fee-for-service (PFFS) plans, and Medical savings accounts (MSAs) linked with high deductible insurance plans.

Medicare Modernization Act of 2003:

In addition to creating the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, the Medicare Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) renamed Medicare+Choice to "Medicare Advantage" (MA) and created new MA plan options for beneficiaries - regional preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and "Special Needs Plans" for dual eligibles, the institutionalized, or those with severe and disabling conditions. MMA also created new incentives for health plan participation in the over $300 billion Medicare market, most notably risk adjustment to Medicare Advantage plan premiums and increased Medicare Advantage plan premiums.

Basics of Medicare Advantage:

The Medicare Advantage program is governed under Medicare Part C, which refers to Part C of Title XVIII of the federal Social Security Act. Medicare Advantage (MA) plans provide all Medicare-covered benefits under Part A and Part B and serve as an alternative to traditional Medicare fee-for-service. Most kinds of MA plans (including all the most popular ones) must also offer a voluntary drug benefit under Part D.

This way, beneficiaries may get all Medicare-covered benefits (Part A, Part B, and Part D) through one health plan. If a benie wants to sign up for Part D but stay in unmanaged fee-for-service for Part A and B services, they must enroll in a stand-alone prescription drug plan (PDP) to receive Medicare drug coverage. (Part D thankfully does not have a government-run fee-for-service option.)

Part D is major draw for new Medicare Advantage enrollment. Compared to the alternative (fee-for-service for Part A and Part B benefits and a stand-alone prescription drug plan for Part D benefit), Medicare Advantage plans are able to offer lower cost sharing, more benefits, fewer hassles, and higher performing mix of providers. However, because they have higher expectations regarding provider quality and cost-effectiveness, Medicare Advantage plans (particularly HMO-based plans) tend to offer a narrower choice of providers than Medicare fee-for-service.

Medicare Advantage Enrollment:

More private insurers are participating in Medicare than ever - 459 approved Medicare Advantage plans, up from 247 in 2005. Currently, over 14% of beneficiaries (6+ million) are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans - up from 12% (4.9 million) in 2005. Plan enrollment varies widely state to state, with the highest penetration (20% to 30%+) in AZ, CA, CO, OR, PA, and RI.

Long-range projections of Medicare Advantage enrollment vary widely. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) believes that by 2013 30% of Medicare beneficiaries will be enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that 16% of beneficiaries will be in a Medicare Advantage plan by 2013. At the current path, MA plan enrollment should exceed 16% in 2006.

Medicare Advantage Premiums:

Medicare uses a complex system to calculate plan premiums, blending administrative pricing with competitive bidding, market benchmarking, and risk adjustment. There are separate bidding and rate-setting processes for Parts A/B and Part D.

For example, for the Part A and Part B portion of Medicare Advantage plan payments, Medicare uses a benchmarking process to compare bids and leverage competition to maximize value for beneficiaries and taxpayers. If a plan's bid is above benchmark, enrollees in that plan pay the difference. If lower, 75% of difference goes to enrollees as extra benefits or lower cost sharing (or a reserve fund) and 25% goes to Medicare.

Basics of Special Needs Plans:

Prior to MMA, Medicare health plans were required to market generally to the Medicare population in their geographic service area and could not limit enrollment to specific population. Under the new Special Needs Plan option, insurers may propose a Medicare Advantage plan that is restricted to a special needs population either exclusively or disproportionately.

The ability to separately market and enroll special needs populations - coupled with Part D and risk adjustment - has created significant interest in this market. It's important to note that authority for Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (MA-SNPs) expires in December 2008. Therefore, Congressional action required to continue after 2008.

Target Populations for Special Needs Plans:

Under MMA, there are three target populations for Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans:

1. Institutionalized Beneficiaries (~3.5 million): Medicare beneficiaries who reside or are expected to reside for 90 days or longer in a long-term care facility. Also includes Medicare beneficiaries who live in the community but who require an equivalent level of care to those residing in a long-term care facility.

2. Dually Eligible beneficiaries (~7.5 million): Medicare beneficiaries who are also in Medicaid for full Medicaid benefits (~6.2 million) and low-income Medicare beneficiaries who receive subsidies from their state Medicaid program for their Medicare cost sharing (~1.3 million in QMB, SLIM, or QI programs).

3. Medicare Beneficiaries with Chronic, Severe Conditions (~millions more): The feds are particularly interested in MA-SNPs designed to serve Medicare beneficiaries with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure, osteoarthritis, mental disorders, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), and/or HIV/AIDS. However, there is no preset definition for this target group. CMS evaluates MA-SNP proposals on case-by-case basis. CMS focuses on appropriateness of the target population, clinical programs and special expertise of the MA-SNP, and how the MA-SNP will cover full target population it specifies without discriminating against "sicker" members.

Basics of Dual Eligibles:

Health care spending for dual eligibles now hovers at a massive quarter trillion dollars - about 60% provided by Medicaid and 40% from Medicare. While dual eligibles drive over a quarter of all Medicare costs, dual eligibles drive over 40% of state Medicaid budgets. (For variety of reasons, including different definitions of duals and accounting for Part D costs, estimates vary. For example, when talking about "dual eligibles" some wonks are referring to the 6.2 million full-benefit duals. Other times the term refers to both the full-benefit folks plus the 1.3 million Medicare-only beneficiaries with partial Medicaid subsidy.)

Dual eligibles are a vulnerable, high cost population in desperate need of coordinated care. About 2/3 live in community and 1/3 reside in long-term care facilities. They commonly have multiple morbidities (5-8) and some 45% have severe mental illness. Compared to the overall Medicare population, they are lower income, older, disproportionately female, disproportionately minority, and less educated. They are often live highly isolated lives, with little or no support system.

MA-SNP Market for 2006:

Since passage of MMA, the number of approved Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans (MA-SNPs) has steadily increased, from 11 in 2004 to 276 in 2006. Of the 276 MA-SNPs approved for CY 2006, 226 are designed for dual eligibles, 37 for beneficiaries with institutional level of care, and 13 for specific chronic conditions (e.g., ESRD). One or more MA-SNPs now operating in most states: AL, AZ, AK, CA, CO, CT, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY,LA, ME, MD, DE, MA, RI, MI, MN, MO, MS, NE, NE, NV, PA,NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OK, OR, PR, SD, TN, TX, UT, WA, WI.

Integrating Medicaid and Medicare via MA-SNPs:

Historically, integration of health care for dual eligibles has been a major challenge. Medicaid and Medicare vary radically in financing, coverage policies, delivery systems, beneficiary rights, and day-to-day administration. For dual eligibles, this results in misaligned benefit structures, little or no care coordination, lower quality, over and under utilization, huge opportunities for cost-shifting, and seemingly endless conflicts between the feds and states. The human and economics costs are extraordinary.

While created to serve the Medicare side of the market, Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plans create new opportunities to integrate Medicaid and Medicare coverage for dual eligibles. Last fall, I laid out the rationale here in the Piper Report (click to read that story). The idea is picking up steam, generating considerable interest from states and health plans.

Basics of Integrated Medicaid-Medicare Health Plan:

In brief, here's how it could work. A health plan contracts with both Medicare (with CMS as a MA-SNP) and the state Medicaid program. For its dual eligible enrollees, the plan is then responsible for all Medicare and Medicaid benefits. The integrated Medicare-Medicaid plan would also be responsible for coordinating benefits with other payors like VA.

The combined Medicaid / MA-SNP would receive fully capitated, risk adjusted premiums for (1) Medicare Part A and Part B (MA plan bidding and benchmarking), (2) Medicare Part D drug benefit (MA-PD bidding and benchmarking), (3) Medicaid benefits (actuarially determined, with bid or proposal process determined by the state), and (4) state Medicaid payment for Medicare cost sharing. The state Medicaid program could create incentives to encourage dual eligibles to enroll in integrated plans. For example, the state could limit coverage of popular home- and community-based long-term care services to duals enrolled in integrated plans.

With some grant support from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, five states are developing concept: Florida, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, and Washington. To make integrated Medicaid / Medicare plans practicable, they are working to standardize and simplify: (1) plan rate setting and risk-adjustment; (2) performance standards, measurement, and reporting; (3) grievance and appeal procedures; (4) marketing guidelines; and (5) state contracting processes with MA-SNPs.

Since Medicaid is administered by the states, traditionally virtually all Medicaid anti-fraud efforts were managed by state Medicaid agencies, with civil enforcement and payment recoveries by the Medicaid agency and criminal prosecutions by the state attorney general and the AG's Medicaid fraud control unit (MFCU). States vary widely in their approaches, the relative sophistication of tools used, and staff resources dedicated. For example, Northern and Western states tend to focus on provider fraud and Southern states tend to focus more on beneficiary fraud.

The recently enacted Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) significantly expands the federal government's role in combating Medicaid fraud and abuse. The new provisions have far-reaching implications for states, providers, and health plans as well as for the federal-state relationship. If managed well and in close coordination with the states, it could save taxpayers billions of dollars. If not, it could easily result in chaos and confusion for Medicaid providers and health plans and a time sink for state Medicaid agencies.

It also creates (1) significant new business opportunities for anti-fraud contractors and systems vendors, (2) new financial incentives for states to beef up their own systems and staff, and (3) new opportunities for whistleblowers and for qui tam suits.

The DRA creates a federal Medicaid Integrity Program, including new contractors, additional federal staff, and financial incentives for states to increase their own efforts at fraud detection and payment recovery. Congress is giving the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) an additional 100 staff plus $50-$75 million a year for outside contractors. If a state enacts its own false claims act, it will be able to retain a larger share of any payment recoveries. (Only 15 states and DC now have some form of state false claims act.) The effect is that compliant states could increase their savings from anti-fraud efforts by as much as 20 percent.

The new law also requires organizations with more than $5 million in annual Medicaid payments to regularly train employees on Medicaid fraud laws and reporting. Across the country, this will apply to thousands of hospitals, nursing homes, home care providers, Medicaid managed care organizations, and counties, as well as many chain pharmacies, clinics, other providers, and the Medicaid fiscal agents like EDS and ACS.

Health care reform is a hot topic again. President Bush is rolling out a series of initiatives to improve health insurance coverage. Congress is poised to approve a 1,000-page budget reconciliation bill with dozens of key changes to Medicaid and Medicare. CMS continues to work hard to implement the Medicare drug benefit. And the national Medicaid reform commission is holding meetings to construct a package of long-range reforms to the world's most complex health program.

Through all of this, states remain the nation's laboratories for genuine health reform. One of the many advantages of our Federalist system is the ability of states to design and test new approaches. State-based reforms are inherently more pragmatic - allowing for faster, less risky implementations and designs that reflect local political and market needs. Compared to federal agencies, states are closer to the ground level, more nimble in responding to inevitable problems, better positioned to partner with employers, and tend to have a deeper bench of real-world, operational expertise.

In Massachusetts, Governor Mitt Romney's health reform plan will cover virtually all of the Commonwealth's uninsured by 2009. It's an ingenious mix of Medicaid financing, market reforms, and public-private partnerships. In Michigan, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm has proposed her own innovative health reform initiative - Michigan First Health Care Plan - to cover over a half million uninsured Michiganders. The good folks at Sellers Feinberg, experts in Medicaid restructuring and super waivers, are advisors to both states.

Governors Romney and Granholm differ in many respects, most notably politics and state situations. However, they share the same goal and have the courage to think out of the box and take action.

Medicare Advantage is the new name for voluntary managed care options in Medicare (also know as Medicare Part C and formerly "Medicare+Choice"). Medicare Advantage plans are now available in nearly every area of the country. Beneficiaries who select a MA plan elect to receive all Medicare benefits through the health plan (HMO or PPO). This includes all Part A and Part B services, plus the new Part D drug benefit as an optional add-on.

The Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) created a Medicare Advantage option called "specialized MA plans for special needs individuals" ("special needs plans" or "SNPs"). These Medicare health plans limit their enrollment to special needs beneficiaries (or disproportionate percentage of special needs beneficiaries). The idea is to encourage greater access to Medicare Advantage plans for special needs individuals and allow plans to tailor programs to meet unique needs. MMA also created risk adjustment, removing a major disincentive to serve high-cost populations. Two groups of special needs individuals are specified in MMA: (1) beneficiaries who are institutionalized and (2) dual eligibles. CMS may also establish other "special needs" groups among beneficiaries with severe or disabling chronic conditions. Like other Medicare Advantage plans, special needs plans have the ability to lower beneficiary cost sharing and cover services not available to beneficiaries in fee-for-service Medicare.

This creates a new opportunity for state Medicaid programs to extend the benefits of managed care to dual eligibles, who nationwide account for over 40 percent of Medicaid costs. Because of a labyrinth of conflicts between federal Medicare and Medicaid laws, it has been very hard for states to implement large-scale programs to improve care delivery for their highest cost, most vulnerable beneficiaries. The result has been high costs, extraordinary inefficiency, frustration for patients and their families, and higher risk for poor quality.

Working with CMS and Medicare Advantage special needs plans (MA-SNPs) operating in the state, a state Medicaid agency could offer to capitate all Medicaid services to any MA-SNP with dual eligible enrollees. The MA-SNP would then be responsible for all Medicare and Medicaid benefits, including all long-term care and prescription drug benefits. To ensure appropriate payment and oversight, the state would risk adjust the Medicaid side of the capitation and MA-SNPs would have one set of quality standards and grievance procedures (presumably based on the more stringent Medicaid protections). Enrollment would remain voluntary like it is for other Medicare beneficiaries, but states could create powerful incentives for duals to enroll in MA-SNPs. For example, the state could limit coverage of home- and community-based services (HCBS) to MA-SNP enrollees when two or more MA-SNPs are available.

Beneficiaries would benefit from higher quality, better access (in real terms), modern care coordination, less paperwork, closer oversight of their rights, and likely more services. States would win from a range of benefit and administrative savings, plus more predictable spending.

For a fact sheet on Medicare Advantage, click here. To learn about plans, enrollment, and other key issues, click here.

Medicaid has become a fiscal disaster for states. With spiraling costs, bulging enrollment, and a degree of complex only a quantum physicist could love, Medicaid is in desperate need of large-scale reform.

The National Governors Association (NGA) has adopted an interim policy on comprehensive Medicaid reform. The policy, which all the governors will vote on at their mid-summer meeting, calls for:

1. A series of new flexibilities to promote cost-effectiveness. These include (a) adopting average sales price for pharmacy reimbursement; (b) tighter controls on creative asset transfers to quality for nursing home care; (c) new cost-sharing options similar to the SCHIP model; (d) ability to modify benefit designs to better accommodate the very different needs of low-income families, the disabled, and frail seniors; (e) comprehensive waiver reforms to make new waivers easier to get and allow proven reforms through the normal state plan process; and (f) litigation reform to make it harder to challenge a state when it exercises its discretionary authority for optional benefits and eligibility, as well as require HHS to join the state in defending approved waiver programs in federal court.

2. Congress should establish a National Health Care Innovations Program to support the implementation of 10 to 15 state-led, large-scale demonstrations in health care reform over a three- to five-year period.

3. A series of federal reforms to strength employer-sponsored health insurance and other private coverage. These include a refundable tax credit for individuals, a new federal tax credit to help small employers, federal grants to establish state purchasing pools, and a new reinsurance program to help buffer employers from the cost of catastrophic cases.

4. Reforms to slow the grow of Medicaid-financed long-term care, including (a) tax credits and deductions for long-term care insurance; (b) ability to expand the range of home- and community-based models; (c) allow every state to create long-term insurance partnerships, which federal law now limits to four states; and (d) allow states to expand chronic care case management across both Medicaid and Medicare services, with savings shared between the state and federal government.

5. Changes to the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) to ensure that no state is hurt financially. State budget gurus increasing believe that that the new Medicare drug benefit will likely increase state Medicaid costs.

To read details of NGA's excellent Medicare reform proposal, click here (PDF).

In 2005, state Medicaid programs will pay for over 18 percent of the nation's quarter trillion dollar pharmaceutical market. Thanks to an excellent new analysis by Jim Verdier and colleagues at Mathematica Policy Research, we have new insights into cost and use patterns in Medicaid.

Some highlights:

● Average monthly Medicaid fee-for-service (FFS) pharmacy reimbursement for all beneficiaries nationally was $69, ranging from $43 in South Carolina to $165 in Connecticut.

● The monthly average was $154 for disabled beneficiaries, $129 for aged beneficiaries, $31 for non-disabled adults, and $12 for children.

● Generics accounted for 46 percent of all Medicaid FFS prescriptions nationally, ranging from 37 percent in New York to 52 percent in Utah.

● Anti-psychotics accounted for nearly 11 percent of total Medicaid drug spending, with antidepressants accounting for 7 percent. Anti-psychotic drugs were the top-ranked drug group in terms of total in 38 states, and ranked second in 9 other states and the District of Columbia.

Mathematica's work, which was sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), also provides interesting information on the prescription drug use and costs of dual eligibles:

● Disabled Medicaid beneficiaries accounted for 58 percent of total Medicaid FFS reimbursement nationally, aged beneficiaries 28 percent, non-disabled adults 6 percent, and children 8 percent.

● Average national monthly FFS reimbursement for dual eligibles was $157, ranging from $109 in New Mexico to $315 in Colorado.

● Dual eligibles accounted for 56 percent of Medicaid FFS pharmacy reimbursement in 1999, ranging from 39 percent in West Virginia to 90 percent in New Mexico.

● Average annual FFS pharmacy costs nationally for disabled dual eligibles under age 65 was $2,143. It was $1,431 for duals age 65 to 74, $1,447 for duals age 75 to 84, and $1,247 for duals age 85 and older.

● Dual eligibles in nursing homes accounted for 14 percent of Medicaid FFS pharmacy reimbursement, with the percentage ranging from 2 percent in South Carolina to 30 percent in Maryland.

● Medicaid residents in nursing homes received an average of 5 prescriptions per month, with the number ranging from 1 percent in the District of Columbia to 13 percent in Colorado.

To learn more, read Mathematica's thoughtful issue brief (PDF) or check out the data tables.

Under President Bush's FY 2006 budget, state Medicaid programs face the prospect of significant changes, including funding cuts of $60 billion, some new expansions, and additional flexibility. Now costing taxpayers over $300 billion a year and growing at 8-12 percent in most states, Medicaid is a hot topic inside the Beltway and in state capitols.

However, Medicaid is extraordinarily complex. To prepare for the policy debate and budget battle, here are some free materials to help you understand Medicaid:

● Medicaid Program at a Glance: Two-page fact sheet summarizing the program.

● Medicaid Benefits: Services covered, limits, copayments, and Reimbursement Methodologies for each state.

● Medicaid Expenditures: State-by-state information on Medicaid spending by type of service (e.g., hospital, physician, prescription drugs).

● Medicaid Resource Book: Comprehensive reference on how the Medicaid program operates - who it covers, what it covers, how it is financed, and how it is administered.

● Medicaid Waivers: Fact sheet explaining Section 1115 Medicaid reform waivers.

Our hat is off to the great folks at the Kaiser Family Foundation, who continue to make available an impressive array of background materials and studies.

As a tool to control costs and improve care for vulnerable patients, disease management is now used in some form by over half of all state Medicaid programs. To help states craft their disease management programs, a variety of technical resources are now available.

The National Pharmaceutical Council offers a series of reports detailing best practices and evidence-based protocols for disease management for:

● Asthma.

● Diabetes.

● Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

● Congestive heart failure.

● Depression.

● Schizophrenia.

They also offer an online decision support system to help state Medicaid directors select priority diseases for disease management programs.

The Disease Management Association, which represents DM organizations and consultants in the industry, offers a journal and conferences to keep up on the latest practices.

Over nine million American children - 12.8 percent of kids - have special health care needs. They face a wide range of conditions, including congenital anomalies, severe physical disabilities, severe asthma, complex organ system diseases (e.g. cystic fibrosis, sickle cell anemia), major depression, and the devastating effects of physical and sexual abuse.

Medicaid health plans serve a large portion of children with special health care needs. With support from the Center for Health Care Strategies, eleven Medicaid health plans and a primary care case management (PCCM) program collaborated over two years to develop, pilot, and refine best practice models for serving this population. The result is an excellent new toolkit on clinical and administrative best practices.

The toolkit includes specific advice on how to identify children and their needs, create comprehensive medical homes, help parents navigate the delivery system, improve preventive services, establish enhanced care management systems, and ensure coordination among specialists.

It also includes informative case studies of innovations by Health Net of California, Lovelace Community Health Plan in New Mexico, Partnership HealthPlan of California, and Access II Care, a provider-led PCCM program in North Carolina.

A new report examines the impact of state budget cuts on Medicaid managed care programs in four states: Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Oregon. Developed by Bailit Health Purchasing LLC for the National Academy for State Health Policy, the study offers valuable insights. It's recommended reading for state Medicaid executives, state budget staff, Medicaid health plans, consultants, and advocates.

Medicaid health plans are the Ginger Rogers of managed care. They have to do everything commercial and Medicare health plans do but have to do it backwards and in high heels. Despite dealing with more complex requirements and the toughest, most vulnerable patient populations, Medicaid health plans often provide higher quality and better access to care than their commercial counterparts.

To reward the highest performing health plans, state Medicaid agencies are increasingly using a new tool - performance-based auto-assignment. Auto-assignment is when new Medicaid beneficiaries are automatically assigned to a health plan when they don't voluntarily select a plan within the required time frame. While a state may simply assign new patients randomly among available plans, it may also use auto-assignment to incentivize the best health plans with increased enrollment. The better the perform, the greater the plan's proportion of auto-assigned enrollees.

Michael Bailit, CEO of Bailit Health Purchasing LLC and a leading expert on Medicaid and employer managed care, says for auto-assignment to work as an incentive additional assignment volume must be desired by the health plans. States must also:

- Establish clear goals at the outset and involve stakeholders early in the process.
- Focus on data that is reliable and measures that can be audited.
- Revisit measures on a regular basis and view the algorithm as something that is modifiable.
- View auto-assignment as an incentive strategy that can be use in complimentary fashion with other incentive strategies.

With the help of Bailit Health Purchasing, California Medicaid (MediCal) is developing a performance-based auto-assignment program. Starting in 2005, MediCal will use the approach to reward health plans with superior performance (relative to other health plans in the county), create a quality improvement incentive for all plans, and support the preservation of the safety net. Medicaid programs in Michigan and New York state already have experience using auto-assignment to drive quality improvement.

When the new Medicare prescription drug benefit begins in January 2006, 7 million dual eligibles (persons enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid) will receive their drug benefits through prescription drug plans (PDPs). If they don't select a PDP, Medicare will auto-assign them into a plan. Given the positive experience of state Medicaid programs, Medicare may wish to consider using performance-based auto-assignment to help drive drug plan quality.