The
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured convened a roundtable
discussion on August 31, 2010 with a group of national and state experts
to discuss key issues related to coordinating coverage and care in
Medicaid and the new Health Insurance Exchanges
under health reform. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
requires states to create a coordinated, simple and
technologically-supported process through which individuals may obtain
Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program and subsidized Exchange
coverage. Coordinating delivery of care across these coverage types
also will be important. A number of challenges must be addressed to
achieve these goals, but the requirements also provide an opportunity
for states to greatly simplify their Medicaid enrollment
process and make large-scale upgrades to their eligibility systems.
The discussion emphasized that it will be vital for states to begin
taking steps now to have systems in place by 2014, when the reform
coverage expansions will be fully implemented. Further,
participants stressed the importance of immediate federal guidance and
support to advance state efforts.
Issue Brief (.pdf)
