Medicaid and Access to Health Care Resources

 Updated August 2007

Medicaid

NCSL Resources:  Articles and Maps | Conference Sessions 

Other Resources: Publications | Websites

Access to Health Care

NCSL Resources:  Articles and Webpages   

Other Resources: Publications | Websites

Medicaid

NCSL Articles and Maps

• Medicaid: A Snapshot for State Legislatures
  An NCSL  "101 introduction" to Medicaid.  This 28 paged document that was originally published in October 2004 gives a basic overview and information about Medicaid.  [member password or login required]
• States and Flexibility with Medicaid Waivers
  This State Health Notes report provides information on the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability 1115 Waiver Initiative.
  

• A New Medicaid
  This article from NCSL's State Legislatures Magazine addresses how Congress' budget reconciliation bill in 2005 gave state officials greater latitude
  in shaping Medicaid reforms. (April 2006)

• Medicaid Extreme Makeover
  This article from NCSL's State Legislatures Magazine addresses how states seek out radical changes to Medicaid as a result of the growing numbers of uninsured people and out of control costs. (February 2006)
  
• Medicaid 
  A menu page that provides links to Medicaid-related topics such as HIFA, Long-Term Care, Medicaid Prescription Laws and Strategies, Pharmacy Plus, and Ticket to Work. 

NCSL Conference Sessions

• Building Blocks

  This set of briefing papers on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) is part of an orientation package for state legislators on the fundamentals of state health policy. 

• Redesigning Medicaid: New Attempts at Reform

  This links to the presentation slides from different speakers that address the goals of Medicaid redesign in the states, options under consideration, the role of legislators and other stakeholders, and implications for states. - Fall Forum, December 2004

• The Medicare Modernization Act:  Implications for the States
  This links to presentation slides on the major areas where the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) impacted states and includes a discussion of the treatment Medicaid/Medicare dual eligibles.  Also, this presentation addresses states' responsibilities regarding the implementation of the new Medicare drug benefit program. - Health Conference December 8, 2004

• Medicaid: Opportunities and Challenges
  This links to presentation slides which examine the Health Insurance Flexibility and Accountability initiative approved for Arizona, along with other state response. - Annual Meeting 2002

Other Resources on Medicaid - Publications

• Congress approved a total of $150 million for these Medicaid “transformation grants” in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA) to be distributed over fiscal years 2007 and 2008.  Today’s award follows grants of $98 million that were distributed last January to 26 states.

• CMS Issues Proposed Rule Limiting The Use Of Governmental Transfers.  On March 19, NCSL urged the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) within HHS to withdraw a proposed rule that would severely limit the use of intergovernmental transfers by redefining what constitutes a governmental entity. 

  FY 2008 Budget Overview - Selected Health Program

• CMS Issues Guidance to States Interested in Medicaid Peer Support Services (2007)
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Medicaid Director letter to provide guidance to States interested in peer support services under Medicaid. Peer support services are an evidence-based mental health model of care which consists of a qualified peer support provider who assists individuals with their recovery from mental illness and substance use disorders.  The experiences of peer support providers, as consumers of mental health and substance abuse services, can be an important component in a State’s delivery of effective treatment.  CMS is reaffirming its commitment to State flexibility, increased innovation, consumer choice, self-direction, recovery, and consumer protection through approval of these services.

• CMS Issues Guidance Regarding Reasonable Crowd-Out Procedures (2007)
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance to State Medicaid agencies clarifying the application of existing statutory and regulatory requirement in State requests to extend eligibility under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to children in families with effective family income levels above 250 percent of the Federal poverty level (FPL).  These requirements ensure that extension of eligibility to children at these higher effective income levels does not interfere with the effective and efficient provision of child health assistance coordinated with other sources of health benefits coverage to the core SCHIP population of uninsured targeted low income children. 

• CMS Releases Guidance to State Medicaid Directors on Implementing Tamper-Resistant Prescription Pads (2007)
  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance, through a State Medicaid Director Letter, concerning section 7002(b) of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans’ Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007, which requires that all written, non-electronic prescriptions for Medicaid outpatient drugs must be executed on tamper-resistant pads in order for them to be reimbursable by the federal government. The Letter gives baseline requirements to States to define and implement tamper-resistant prescription pads.

• Medicaid: A Primer
  A Kaiser Foundation 2007 publication with key information on Medicaid.

• The Basics: SCHIP (2007)
  This publication briefly summarizes the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and explains who is eligible, what services are covered, and where finances come from. 

• Senate Committee Passes SCHIP Reauthorization Bill (July 25, 2007)
  This news article from the American Academy of Physicians explains the details of the bill and also includes a link to the full text of the Senate bill.  

• Issue Brief: SCHIP Reauthorization (2007)
  This issue brief from the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) examines SCHIP funding problems facing states, funding and other issues that are expected to be at the forefront of the fast-approaching reauthorization debate, and current actions in the states aimed at expanding the SCHIP program.

• The Medicaid Program At A Glance (2007)
  This publication briefly summarizes the Medicaid Program and explains who is eligible, what services are covered, and where finances come from. 

• Physician Pay-for-Performance in Medicaid: A Guide for States (2007)
  Developed by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), this guide offers actionable steps to help states design and implement physician-level P4P (pay-for-performance)strategies within the Medicaid program.

• More Medicaid Means Less Quality Health Care (2007)
  This article from the Heritage Foundation explores the option of mainstreaming low-income families into the private health insurance markets, enabling them to secure the kind of coverage that best meets their personal needs as opposed to states expanding Medicaid coverage.

• Florida and South Carolina: Two Serious Efforts to Improve Medicaid (2005)
  This article depicts how Florida and South Carolina reformed their respective Medicaid programs as they pursed federal waivers so that they can bring the principles of choice, individual control, and competition into Medicaid.

• Medicaid: The Next 40 Years (2005)
  This article summarizes the latest Commonwealth Fund Health Care Opinion Leaders survey, and explains the widespread agreement about the need to expand coverage to more of the working poor, ease administrative burdens, and use pay-for-performance strategies to improve the quality and efficiency of care.  

Other Websites on Medicaid

• Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
  This site contains links to general and specific information on many aspects of Medicaid such as Medicaid coding, initiatives, prescription drugs, consumer enrollment, and coverage. Click here for specific information from CMS on the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).  
  
• Safety Net Monitoring
  A resource of data and tools provided by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to monitor the status of local safety nets.
  
• Statehealthfacts.org
  A website source for individual state health data.

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Access to Health Care

NCSL Articles and Webpages on Access to Health Care

• How Secure is the Safety Net?
  This article from NCSL's State Legislatures Magazine addresses the issue of financing safety net providers specifically community health centers. (March 2005)
  
• Health Disparities and Minority Health
  A menu page that provides links to 50 states legislation, publications, and web resources on health disparities and minority health care.
  
• Health Centers
  A menu page that provides links to publications and web resources related to health centers.
  
• Federally Qualified Health Centers in the United States
  Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are non-profit, consumer-directed corporations that provide high quality of care and cost-effective treatment to the underserved and the uninsured. (2003)

Other Publications on Access to Health Care

• Health Care Reconsidered: Options for Change a Two-Part Series on Health Care Policy  (General Overview of Forum)
  The Brooklings Institute launched the Hamilton Project in which the first panel of the two-part series focused on making health care more affordable while improving its effectiveness.  The second panel in the series highlighted a range of policy proposals for achieving the goal of universal health care coverage for all Americans.  Please click the links above for web/podcasts, transcripts and presentation slides from these forums. (April/July 2007)

• State Scorecard
  This interactive U.S. map draws from the Commission on a High Performance Health System's report, Aiming Higher: Results from a State Scorecard on Health System Performance.  Use this map to view state-specific rankings and results compared to benchmarks, and to view the number of lives and dollars each state could save by achieving benchmark levels of performance. (2007)

• Covering the Uninsured: How States Can Expand and Improve Health Coverage
  This article explains how governors and state legislators can make significant headway in reducing the number of America's uninsured, improving access to quality health care, and expanding choice and competition in the state health insurance markets. (2003)

Other Websites on Access to Health Care

• Cover the Uninsured Week
  A website that provides information about Cover the Uninsured Week along with other resources addressing the uninsured such as fact sheets, chart books, and state-by-state profiles.
  
• Economic Research on Initiative on the Uninsured (ERIU)
  An initiative housed at the University of Michigan and funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that conducts research on health coverage topics.
  
• Families USA: The Uninsured
  Families USA is a national non-profit, non-partisan organization that has a website with news, publications, and other resources on the topic of the uninsured.
  
• Health Coverage and the Uninsured
  A Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured website that provides resources and information related to health insurance coverage and the uninsured.
  
• Health Insurance Coverage in America: 2005 Data Update (May 2007)
  A chartbook by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured about health insurance coverage data from 2005.

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Featured Links

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