States Have Had Mixed Results In Addressing Social Determinants Of Health To Manage Costs, GAO Report Finds
The report comes as states and federal officials are scrambling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending. Other Medicaid news comes out of Idaho and Nebraska, as well.
Modern Healthcare:
GAO Report On High-Cost Medicaid Beneficiaries
States have mixed results when coordinating patient care and addressing the social determinants of health to manage healthcare costs for high-cost Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a new Government Accountability Office report released Thursday. The GAO found that all the states surveyed offered care management assistance to providers to better manage physical and mental health conditions for fee-for-service beneficiaries. (Brady, 9/13)
Boise State Public Radio:
Idaho Republicans: Counties, Savings Should Pay For Medicaid Expansion
Counties could end up paying for a significant part of Idaho’s voter-approved Medicaid expansion after it’s rolled out next year. A legislative committee is almost done drafting its recommendation to lawmakers on how to pay for the state’s estimated $41 million share of the expansion in fiscal year 2021. Republicans want almost a quarter of that bill to be covered by counties, noting that they shouldn't have to pay as much for indigent healthcare. But Democrats, like Sen. Marianne Jordan (D-Boise), say voters who helped pass Medicaid expansion, wanted the state to pay for those costs. (Dawson, 9/16)
Omaha.Com:
Nebraska Families Say Change To Medicaid Waivers Removes Kids With Disabilities From Needed Coverage
Claire Aschoff took her first steps at age 3. That was in late December, the result of months of intensive physical and occupational therapy paid for through a special Medicaid waiver program covering disabled children and adults. A few weeks later, the Blair child could manage barely seven independent steps, her mother, Bridget, told a panel of state lawmakers Friday. (Stoddard, 9/14)
