On Thursday, Oct. 15, The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured (KCMU) released its 15th annual 50-state Medicaid budget survey for state fiscal years 2015 and 2016. Kaiser and the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) held a joint briefing to discuss key findings and highlight trends in enrollment and spending as well as policy changes in Medicaid programs around the country. The survey provides new information on such questions as: how fast are Medicaid enrollment and spending growing in expansion and non-expansion states; what were the key developments in Medicaid payment and delivery system reforms in managed care and long-term services and supports; how are states adjusting benefits and provider reimbursement rates; and how are state Medicaid officials responding to rising prices and program costs associated with specialty and high-cost drug therapies.

In conjunction with the briefing the Foundation released three reports based on the KCMU survey:

Medicaid Enrollment & Spending Growth: FY 2015 & 2016, which analyzes trends in state Medicaid enrollment and spending;

Medicaid Reforms to Expand Coverage, Control Costs and Improve Care: Results from a 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey for State Fiscal Years 2015 and 2016, which provides a detailed look at the various policy and program changes in Medicaid programs in all 50 states; and

Putting Medicaid in the Larger Budget Context: An In-Depth Look at Three States in FY 2015 and 2016, case studies of Medicaid programs in Alaska, California and Tennessee.

The briefing was moderated by Diane Rowland, the Foundation’s Executive Vice President and Executive Director of the KCMU. Survey findings were presented by co-authors Robin Rudowitz, an Associate Director of the KCMU, and Vernon K. Smith, Managing Principal, Health Management Associates, which helped conduct the survey.

Thomas Betlach, President of NAMD’s Board of Directors and Director, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, moderated a panel of state Medicaid directors who offered perspective on the survey findings and shared insight into key Medicaid developments in their states. Other panelists included:

• Justin Senior, Deputy Secretary for Medicaid, State of Florida, Agency for Health Care Administration;
• Gretchen Hammer, Medicaid Director, State of Colorado, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing

When:
Thursday, October 15, 2015
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Where:
Barbara Jordan Conference Center
Kaiser Family Foundation
1330 G Street NW, Washington DC
(one block west of Metro Center)

Event Date

Oct 15, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.