Government Relations
UM Legislative Update Newsletter
January 6, 2006
Link from Medicaid Reform Commission issues final report
The Medicaid Reform Commission submitted its final report to the General Assembly on Dec. 28. Sen. Charles Shields (R-St. Joseph), chair of the commission, recommended that the group continue to meet as a permanent joint committee in order to monitor implementation of its recommendations.
The 76 page report includes numerous recommendations organized into ten categories. Major recommendations include the following:
- Create pilot projects to allow elderly and disabled recipients the option of enrolling in a managed or coordinated care model;
- Establish incentives to emphasize enrollees’ personal responsibility for their health by using risk appraisals and other tools;
- Promote management of chronic disease;
- Establish a tiered system of copayments;
- Create varying benefit packages based on an individual’s eligibility and need;
- Establish a pilot project to assess a pay for performance program for Medicaid providers;
- Encourage and eventually require the use of electronic medical records and prescription systems;
- Provide incentives to use telemedicine technologies;
- Increase provider reimbursements;
- Establish a single point of entry for assessing and assigning a patient to the appropriate level of care; and
- Provide technical assistance to support grants to create or expand federally qualified health centers.
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