AACF encourages child advocates to take time to weigh in on the state Medicaid reform effort through a short DHS survey (see link below).  DHS and partners are working to find new ways to purchase health services in a more efficient and coordinated way to improve quality and, in turn, hopefully curtail the rising costs health care costs that threaten our budget starting in 2013.

DHS is asking for stakeholder feedback on areas of high inefficiency and we hope child and family advocates will weigh in, especially on those areas of most importance to the quality of recipients’ care.  The web survey is very much focused on medical disease states for priority areas, but because it asks for system inefficiencies we also think some areas may include (but certainly not limited to):

•  Lack of preventive care/coverage for children and their parents, especially lack of coverage availability for legal immigrant children, particularly the Marshallese (state option to remove the 5 year bar that exists for legal immigrant kids), who cost taxpayers more as they are treated for avoidable disease or complications
• Red tape and cumbersome processes that hinder enrollment and especially renewals, where thousands of kids drop off and then cost the system more as they churn on and off coverage. Technology could play an important positive role here, not to mention in coordinating service systems and health care providers.
•  New opportunities to provide preventive dental care to kids (e.g. physicians), as was authorized during the recent legislative session
• Opportunities to better serve many recipients (Seniors, DDS, mental health system) in communities rather than bed-based settings.
• Opportunities to offer preventive care in new settings and reach children/families who are not connected to a medical home (e.g. schools) and bring them into the health system.
• Wasted time/process/duplication that occurs with referral lags, provider “handoffs” etc.

Of course, there are many more and many related to specific conditions, as DHS seeks.

Payment reform may seem too complicated to engage in, but your input is important and necessary as a champion for Medicaid recipients and their families from the perspectives in the juvenile justice, mental health, aging/Long Term Care, social services and other systems that serve low-income families.   Please consider contributing to this discussion through the short survey below. As you can imagine, health care providers are rightfully engaged because this impacts them most directly and they have an important perspective on inefficiencies.  But we also ask that you and your colleagues also make consumer advocate voices heard.

Survey responses are due 6/30 here.  You can attach your name or choose to remain anonymous.

Other resources:

Background documents, including the letter Governor Beebe sent to HHS Sec. Sebelius and framework for planning. (Note that while the original plan was to change the way ALL services were purchased, DHS is now looking to focus efforts in a few key areas to start, and this survey will help them determine what areas to start with.)