Medicaid Expansions

This Policy Update provides a summary of the final regulation released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services governing the implementation of the Medicaid primary care rate increase to Medicare levels for 2013 and 2014. It highlights select provisions for states to consider when planning implementation.

SHARE grantee David Idala, Director of Medicaid Policy Studies at The Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, released a final report from his SHARE-funded evaluation of Maryland’s effort to identify and enroll eligible children in Medicaid and CHIP using information from state tax forms.

The Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services sent out a letter to State Medicaid Directors providing guidance on Medicaid benchmark benefit coverage options, which will now be referred to as “Alternative Benefit Plans.”

This analysis provides national as well as state-by-state estimates of the impact of ACA on federal and state Medicaid costs, Medicaid enrollment, and the number of uninsured. Overall state costs of implementing the Medicaid expansion would be modest compared to increases in federal funds, and some states are likely to see small net budget savings.  

On November 1, 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released final regulations regarding a Medicaid primary care rate increase to Medicare levels for 2013 and 2014 – a provision that is intended to encourage greater provider participation in Medicaid. This technical assistance brief reviews the final regulatory language and identifies key questions and operational steps states should consider in implementing this provision.