Medicaid Reform
By Kay Castillo, Director of Advocacy, Policy and Legislation, NASW North Carolina
For the past few months, a small team comprised of legislators and professionals has met and heard from the public regarding how to best reform Medicaid. Our Medicaid system has been the point of ever changing reform for well over ten years now. With 2.3 Million people receiving Medicaid services in 2013 and $13 Billion in expenditures, our state is looking to reform Medicaid into a more cost predictable model.
Yesterday, a plan was presented to legislators. This plan will have to be finalized and approved by legislators in the 2014 Short Session (convening May 14th).
So what is the proposed plan? Recommendations are broken down by health categories- Physical Health, MH/DD/SA, Long Term Services and Supports. Below are the recommendations for each:
PHYSICAL HEALTH
Recommendation 1: North Carolina Medicaid services for physical health will be coordinated through accountable care organizations (ACOs) that share savings and losses with the State and are responsible for quality.
Recommendation 2: ACOs’ coverage of the population and financial accountability will rise progressively; DHHS will benchmark progress.
MENTAL HEALTH, INTELLECTUAL/DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE SERVICES
Recommendation 3: Enhance the state’s Medicaid mental health, substance abuse and
intellectual/developmental disability service delivery system.
LONG-TERM SERVICES & SUPPORTS (LTSS)
Recommendation 4: Streamline and strengthen coordination of care for long-term services and supports.
Recommendation 5: Shape the ultimate direction of LTSS.
NASW-NC will continue to be a part of the process to ensure our providers and clients are the top priority in delivery of services by attending meetings, staying in communication with the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and lobbying for this legislation in the 2014 Legislative Session. Questions or comments about the process or plan? Contact NASW-NC’s
Director of Advocacy, Policy and Legislation!
For more information and to read the Legislative Report, click
here. Understand the Medicaid Reform Plan better by visiting the
NC DHHS website.
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