The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) releases its June 2015 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP as Medicaid marks its fiftieth year as a federal-state partnership providing low-income Americans with access to comprehensive, affordable health care coverage.
In addition to highlighting the complex health needs and cost challenges that have always been part of providing care to Medicaid’s diverse and vulnerable populations, the June 2015 report looks to Medicaid’s future as a major health care payer driving health system change toward value. Chapter 1 examines a new approach to supplemental payments embodied in Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) programs. Supplemental payments have long been used to sustain safety-net providers in their communities. DSRIP programs offer the added potential of driving value and improved health outcomes in Medicaid by linking payment to achievement of specific milestones.
Chapter 2 discusses coverage of adult dental benefits. Although Medicaid requires states to provide dental coverage for children, such coverage is not mandatory for adults. Chapter 2 compares Medicaid dental coverage available to low-income adults across the country over the past few years, and finds that benefits vary considerably between states and fluctuate over time.
Chapters 3 and 4 describe Medicaid’s role in providing health services to two especially at risk groups of beneficiaries: people of all ages who have a behavioral health diagnosis and children and youth who receive child welfare assistance.
Chapter 5 concludes the report with a discussion of the use of psychotropic medications under Medicaid. While psychotropic drugs are important tools in mental illness treatment, some recent studies have questioned whether they are overprescribed.