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This issue brief provides an overview of the Independence Plus Initiative, compares core program features with the Cash and Counseling Demonstration program, and discusses several policy issues that arise in the implementation of this initiative. Issue Paper (.pdf)
This case study of Ohio's Money Follows the Person demonstration, known as HOME Choice, describes key features of the program and highlights early program experiences. Ohio was one of 17 states to receive federal funding for the Money Follows the Person (MFP) rebalancing demonstration in January 2007. The state was awarded up to $100 million in enhanced federal matching funds in order to transition roughly 2,200 seniors and people with disabilities from institutions to home…
This fact sheet examines the similarities and differences between the five-year demonstrations in Massachusetts and Washington state to integrate care and align financing for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. The states finalized memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in fall 2012, and the demonstrations in each state are set to begin in April 2013. Fact Sheet (.pdf)
This issue brief examines new opportunities under the health reform law for states to balance their Medicaid long-term care delivery systems by expanding access to Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) programs. The brief outlines key provisions of the new law that expand HCBS benefit options, broaden financial and functional eligibility criteria, and provide additional financial incentives for states to further shift their Medicaid long-term services budgets to non-institutional settings. Issue Brief (.pdf)
This fact sheet provides key information about the Medicaid program and its role in our health care system and state economies. The nation’s public health insurance program for low-income people is counter-cyclical, expanding during the recent recession to assist millions of individuals and families affected by the loss of jobs and job-based health insurance. While the program has worked as intended, economic conditions have contributed to growing pressure on state budgets and Medicaid funding. This…
This policy brief describes the relationship of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Medicaid services and the impact of the U.S. Supreme Court's Olmstead v. L.C. decision. Policy Brief (.pdf) Related Olmstead Materials
Using the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), this brief first examines the need for long-term services and supports (LTSS) among seniors living in the community. It then studies health status, mobility limitations, and housing characteristics of seniors living in the community with an LTSS need.
Since 2008, the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured has periodically surveyed state Money Follows the Person (MFP) programs, conducted state case studies, and profiled the experiences of individual MFP beneficiaries. Based on the information and data collected in our six surveys, we identify some lessons learned from MFP that could inform future Medicaid long-term services and supports rebalancing policies.
Medicare is a critical source of health insurance coverage for virtually all older women in the U.S. and for many younger women who have permanent disabilities. Because women have longer life expectancies than men, more than half (57%) of the people covered by the program are women. In 1999, there were 21 million women on Medicare 19 million ages 65 and over and another 2 million women under age 65 with disabilities who received Social…
With the passage of health reform, the Money Follows the Person (MFP) demonstration grant program was extended through 2016 giving states further options to transition Medicaid beneficiaries living in institutions back to the community. Enacted into law in 2006 as part of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), the MFP demonstration provides states with enhanced federal matching funds for twelve months for each Medicaid beneficiary transitioned from an institutional setting to a community-based setting. A total…
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