On December 4, 2017, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a final report to the President and Congress on the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration program. From 2008 to 2015, the MFP program has assisted over 63,000 individuals in 43 states and the District of Columbia in transitioning from institutions such as nursing facilities back to the community.
MACPAC’s authorizing statute directs the Commission to review the Secretary’s reports to Congress and submit written comments. In this session, Commissioners reviewed a draft comment letter responding to the findings of the report and discussing the report’s limitations. The draft areas of comment included requests that HHS provide additional information on how much was spent on the MFP program, that HHS evaluate data from later years of the program, and that it provide information on barriers to states’ ability to sustain transitions.