Interviews Reveal Policy Findings from Early Medicaid Expansions
In a new study entitled “Lessons from Early
Medicaid Expansions Under Health Reform: Interviews with Medicaid Officials,”
published in Volume 3, Issue 4, of Medicare
& Medicaid Research Review, researchers present interviews with
Medicaid officials in six states—California, Connecticut, the District of
Columbia, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Washington—that extended Medicaid in
2010–2011 to low-income adults targeted for coverage under health reform. The
interviews reveal important policy findings. First, these changes in Medicaid
built upon pre-existing state-funded health insurance programs for the poor;
second, cost and enrollment predictions were challenging, indicating the
uncertainty in such projections for 2014; other lessons included a substantial
need for behavioral health services in this population, and the administrative
challenges of expanding coverage; and finally, the researchers learned how
political context—support or opposition from stakeholders and the general
public—plays a critical role in shaping the success of Medicaid expansions.
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Read the full article:
Citation:
Sommers, B. D., Arntson, E., Kenney, G. M.,
& Epstein, A. M. (2013). Lessons from Early Medicaid Expansions Under
Health Reform: Interviews with Medicaid Officials. Medicare & Medicaid Research Review, 3(4),
E1–E23.
