- The year 2014 has been nothing short of historic for Medicaid. Grabbing the headlines has been the record enrollment growth under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which offers states the option of expanding eligibility to childless adults for the first time ever. But there’s much more to the story than that. Medicaid is in the process of transforming itself from a program that simply pays medical bills to one that focuses on value, high quality, care coordination and health outcomes. While the majority of states have opted to expand Medicaid under the ACA, even more have implemented payment and delivery system reforms including medical homes, Accountable Care Organizations, medical and behavioral health integration efforts, and greater reliance on managed care for traditional Medicaid enrollees as well as dual eligibles, long-term care recipients and people with chronic illnesses. Capturing the scope of these dramatic changes is the Kaiser Family Foundation’s 14th annual 50-state Medicaid budget survey: Medicaid in an Era of Health and Delivery System Reform, conducted with Health Management Associates and with the cooperation of the National Association of Medicaid Directors. During this webinar, co-authors Vern Smith, Kathy Gifford and Eileen Ellis will highlight the survey’s findings and provide perspective on what it all means for the future of Medicaid.
