Health Care Toolkit for State Budget Officers: Resources for Implementing the Affordable Care Act and other Health Care Reforms

State budget officers provide a unique perspective on how the crucial delivery of a key service such as health care fits into the framework of state budgets. This report looks at five core areas pertinent to state budgets as a means to analyze the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and other health reforms. The five core areas are: explaining health care cost trends; bracing for budget volatility; monitoring health insurance marketplaces; evaluating Medicaid managed care expansions; and assessing the impacts of care delivery and payment reforms. This report provides the framework on how to analyze the changes in health care and will launch continued discussions on these crucial issues that have significant budget implications.