Thursday, April 30, 2015 at 1 p.m. EST – The U.S. Supreme Court last month limited the ability of healthcare providers to file lawsuits against state Medicaid programs over the adequacy of provider payment rates. The court’s decision in Armstrong v. Exceptional Child Center is good news for states looking to rein in Medicaid costs. But many fear it will be bad news for Medicaid beneficiaries, who may struggle to find access to quality care if providers refuse to participate in the program because of insufficient payment rates. Enforcement of Medicaid’s promise to provide high-quality health care to the poor now falls largely in the lap of CMS, whose enforcement tools may not be up to the task. During this webinar, you will hear an analysis of the possible real-world implications of this decision – for providers, beneficiaries, states and Medicaid managed care plans.

Learning Objectives:
• Understand the key arguments on both sides of the issue and why the court ruled the way it did.
• Assess the most likely outcomes of the ruling.
• Gain an understanding of the tools available to CMS to enforce the payment rate and network adequacy requirements of Medicaid.
• Find out whether providers and beneficiaries have other avenues for addressing insufficient payment rates.
• Learn how the ruling may impact Medicaid managed care plans, which are paid by a growing number of states to provide access to care for Medicaid beneficiaries and which contract directly with providers to do so.

Confirmed Speakers:
Meghan Linvill McNab, JD, Krieg DeVault
Leah Mannweiler, JD, Partner, Krieg DeVault
Kathy Gifford, JD, Managing Principal, Health Management Associates
Catherine Rudd, JD, Senior Consultant, Health Management Associates