“Medicaid in the Next Normal”

June 01, 2021

One of the premier benefits of membership in VNPP is the opportunity to be a member (for free!) of Open Minds.  This article illustrates the value of the connection.  The things I found most critical to our planning and future focus were:

 

• With an 8%  increase in Medicaid enrollment (national) there will be increased awareness of Medicaid costs to State budgets.  Virginia saw a 14% increase (July 2020 – May 2021) which represents more than 220,000 more individuals on Medicaid.
• Like the pressure some years ago to address cost concerns by touting the benefit of “managed care,”  the new mantra is “integrated care” and addressing the needs of the “whole person.”  Not that any of us who look at the social determinants of health as critical would dispute the need to care for the “whole person,” but making that the excuse for having everyone land on “average” is the concern.
• There is also increasing emphasis on “value-based care.”  The question always is “what do you value?”  Regardless of the best of intentions, it is likely that these moves will once again shrink the pool of providers, and focus the greatest growth on the larger, more nimble, and more financially stable providers.   

So for now, the question is how do we protect access, and grow the capacity to meet the growing number of individuals who desperately need BH, SUD or I/DD services and supports!