An Analysis of Utilization and Spending Trends in Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drugs
- Drugs for hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS are among Medicaid’s costliest
- Spending for diabetes drugs nearly doubled from 2014 to 2017
- There were fewer opioid prescriptions in 2017 than in 2014
Medicaid in the U.S. Territories: Program Features, Challenges, and Changes
- Medicaid enrollment increased in Puerto Rico and USVI following the hurricanes
- Most territories have struggled with provider shortages
- The expiration of temporary Medicaid funds in Sept. 2019 could have negative consequences for coverage and services
How Quickly are States Connecting Applicants to Medicaid and CHIP Coverage?
States with faster application processing:
- Had broader eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP
- Were more likely to receive most applications online and allow individuals to upload documentation automatically
- Were more likely to process the majority of renewals automatically
What to Watch in Medicaid in 2019 from the Administration, Congress and the States
- Medicaid expansion developments
- Medicaid work requirements, including litigation and pending waivers
- Medicaid and the opioid epidemic, controlling Rx drug costs and expanding community-based long-term care
- “Public charge” changes and Medicaid
Medicaid Waiver Tracker: Approved and Pending Section 1115 Waivers by State
View states’ approved and pending waivers according to topic:
- Work Requirement Waivers
- Waivers with Eligibility and Enrollment Restrictions
- Waivers with Benefit, Copay, and Healthy Behavior Provisions
- Waivers with Behavioral Health Provisions
Year End Review: 2018 Medicaid Work Requirements in Arkansas
- 18,164 people lost coverage June – December 2018 due to non-compliance
- 1,311 met work and reporting requirements in December
- Clock resets in January for non-compliance
CMS’s 2018 Proposed Medicaid Managed Care Rule: A Summary of Major Provisions
Key areas of proposed changes include:
- Network adequacy
- Beneficiary protections
- Quality oversight
- Rates and payment
The Effects of Medicaid Expansion under the ACA: Updated Findings from a Literature Review
Findings from 202 studies of the impact of state Medicaid expansions published between January 2014 and February 2018.
- Coverage
- Access, Utilization, Affordability and Health Outcomes
- Economic Outcomes
What's in the Kentucky Medicaid Waiver that was Re-approved in November 2018?
- A work requirement as a condition of eligibility
- Premiums of up to 4% of income
- Multiple coverage “lock-out periods”
- Elimination of retroactive eligibility coverage and NEMT benefit for most expansion adults
- New deductible and incentive rewards accounts
The re-approved waiver includes very few changes from the version approved in January 2018.
The Midterm Elections and Medicaid Expansion
A look at the ballot initiative votes in Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, and Montana, and the implications of the gubernatorial elections in Kansas, Maine and Wisconsin.
Stewart v. Azar: Explaining the Court’s Decision on Kentucky’s Medicaid Waiver
The court blocked Kentucky’s implementation of much of the waiver and sent it back to HHS to reconsider. CMS has re-opened the comment period through August 18, 2018.
Some related resources:
Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions
Our interactive map provides the latest information regarding states’ decisions about adopting the Medicaid expansion.
Medicaid State Fact Sheets
An updated collection of state Medicaid fact sheets provides snapshots of Medicaid coverage and spending nationally and in each state.
Estimated Impacts of the Proposed Public Charge Rule on Immigrants and Medicaid
- Medicaid/CHIP enrollment likely to decline.
- Over 14M Medicaid and CHIP enrollees live in a household with a noncitizen.
- 94 percent of noncitizens who entered the U.S. without legal permanent resident status have characteristics the government could weigh against them in public charge determinations.
Federal Legislation to Address the Opioid Crisis: Medicaid Provisions in the SUPPORT Act
We look at the key Medicaid provisions in the bipartisan anti-opioids legislation.
The Latest
- Analysis Finds that Medications for Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS Are the Costliest Group of Outpatient Prescription Drugs for Medicaid, While Diabetes Drugs Have Posted the Sharpest Rise in Costs
- Utilization and Spending Trends in Medicaid Outpatient Prescription Drugs
- Status of State Medicaid Expansion Decisions: Interactive Map
The Essentials
Trending: Medicaid's Future
- Medicaid Waiver Tracker: Approved and Pending Section 1115 Waivers by State
- Medicaid: What to Watch in 2019 from the Administration, Congress, and the States
- KFF Health Tracking Poll – November 2018: Priorities for New Congress and the Future of the ACA and Medicaid Expansion
- Bipartisan Majorities Support Trump Administration’s Push to Get Drug Prices in Advertisements, Even after Hearing Counter-Arguments
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes 