Recent Releases and Announcements
Annual Reassignments for Certain Low-Income Subsidy Eligible Individuals
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an informational bulletin to provide an update on the next steps in the processes reassignments for certain low-income subsidy (LIS)-eligible individuals. The bulletin provides information to ensure that states understand their role in ensuring that dual eligible beneficiaries have timely, affordable, and comprehensive coverage under the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit.
Long-Term Services and Supports Beneficiaries Report
Approximately 5.2 million people received Medicaid-funded long-term services and supports (LTSS) during calendar year 2013, according to an annual update on LTSS beneficiaries posted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Approximately 5.2 million people received Medicaid-funded LTSS during calendar year 2013.
Most LTSS beneficiaries (3.7 million or 72 percent) received home and community-based services (HCBS), including people who also received institutional services during the year. Fifty-six percent of beneficiaries were under age 65, including children and youth under age 21 (16 percent) and people age 21 through 64 (40 percent). Older adults comprised 44 percent of beneficiaries. For each age group, a majority of people received HCBS, but older adults were less likely to receive HCBS than people under age 65. Read the full report (PDF, 1.15 MB) (PDF 20 bytes).
Section 1915(c) Home and Community Based Services Waiver Program Data from CMS 372 Reports
CMS posted an annual update to a report (PDF, 1.82 MB) (PDF 20 bytes) describing section 1915(c) home and community based services waiver programs, including the number of beneficiaries, waiver and total Medicaid expenditures, and duration of service. The report presents new 2014 data for each waiver program and national trend data since 2009. Key findings include:
- Over 1.6 million people received section 1915(c) waiver services in 2014;
- The number of section 1915(c) waiver participants has increased by an average of four percent per year since 2009;
- After adjusting for population growth, the number of participants increased an average of three percent per year, from 4.3 participants per 1,000 residents in 2009 to 5.0 participants per 1,000 residents in 2014;
- Participants received services for an average of 10 months in 2014, as in previous years;
- Average waiver expenditures per person were $26,055, with a small increase of less than half a percent per year since 2009; and
- Total Medicaid expenditures per waiver participant were $36,039 and have increased one percent per year since 2009.
Read the full report (PDF, 1.82 MB) (PDF 20 bytes).
Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP)
Register Now: Medicaid Value-Based Payment Approaches for Children's Oral Health National Learning Webinar (Thursday, October 19, 2017)
To assist state Medicaid/CHIP dental program staff, state Medicaid directors, and other state officials, CMS’s Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP) will host a webinar on Thursday, October 19, 2017, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET on Medicaid Value-Based Payment (VBP) approaches for Children’s Oral Health. This webinar will:
- Share perspectives about the importance of payment reform in children’s oral health
- Describe Medicaid VBP approaches that states can use to improve children’s oral health outcomes
- Provide examples of Medicaid VBP approaches in children’s oral health:
- Texas First Dental Home
- Oregon Health Authority
This is the second webinar of a series of VBP-focused national learning webinars the Medicaid IAP is hosting in October/November.
Register Now: Medicaid Value-Based Payment Approaches for Substance Use Disorders National Learning Webinar (October 26, 2017)
As part of CMS’s Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP) Reducing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) program area, we are sharing what we have learned from working with states on SUD delivery system reform through our national learning webinars. We invite you to join our next national learning webinar on Thursday, October 26, 2017 from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET.
The October webinar, Medicaid Value-Based Payment Approaches for SUD, will address opportunities to incorporate SUD related services in value-based payment approaches. We will draw upon both the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network (HCPLAN) framework and other key considerations for incentivizing value when purchasing SUD services. Utilizing the HCPLAN framework, which describes a continuum of value-based payment (VBP) approaches, we will highlight SUD examples across that continuum.
This is the third webinar of a series of VBP-focused national learning webinars the Medicaid IAP is hosting in October/November.
Register Now: Medicaid Value-Based Payment Approaches for Maternal and Infant Health National Learning Webinar (November 2, 2017)
To assist state Medicaid directors, maternal and infant health providers, Title V Directors, and other state Medicaid/CHIP staff, CMS’s Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP) will host a webinar on Thursday, November 2, 2017, from 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET on Medicaid Value-Based Payment (VBP) Approaches for Maternal and Infant Health. This webinar will:
- Share perspectives on the importance of payment reform in maternal and infant health
- Describe Medicaid VBP approaches that states can use to improve maternal and infant health outcomes
- Provide examples of Medicaid VBP approaches in maternal and infant health
- Arkansas: Perinatal bundled payment
- Louisiana: Pay-for-Performance on the use of progesterone to prevent preterm births
This is the last webinar of a series of VBP-focused national learning webinars the Medicaid IAP is hosting in October/November.
Register Now: State Measurement Strategies that Drive Physical and Mental Health Integration (October 30, 2017)
As part of CMS’s Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program (IAP), we are sharing lessons learned from working with state Medicaid agencies on physical and mental health integration via a national webinar series. All state Medicaid agencies and interested stakeholders are invited to join the second webinar on Monday, October 30, 2017, 3:00 -4:30 PM ET. This webinar will feature Dr. Harold Pincus from Columbia University along with a state Medicaid representative from Colorado who will share their expertise and experiences with measuring physical/mental health integration. Speakers will discuss their measurement approaches, as well as concrete state strategies to measure integration, both in how providers are delivering care, and in health outcomes. The measurement strategies presented on this webinar will be applicable to a variety of states interested in developing or strengthening their measurement approaches to support, track, and sustain their integration efforts.
Upcoming Calls and Webinars
Overview of the new Medicaid E&E Toolkit (MEET)
Come learn more about the recently released Medicaid Eligibility and Enrollment Toolkit (MEET) v1.0 on Medicaid.gov. This toolkit was developed to provide additional technical assistance to the states and their vendor partners in the development and implementation of their Eligibility and Enrollment systems.
Thursday, October 19 2017 from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm ET
Audio option #1: 1-844-396-8222 Participant Code: 900 547 849
Audio option #2 and Webinar