N.C. Medicaid Overhaul Shifts To Regional Managed Care Plans
By Lynn Bonner, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.) | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Gov.
A government advisory group held its first meeting on the proposals Thursday. The group will have three more meetings before it sends a recommendation to the legislature. The federal government picks up about two-thirds of the state's Medicaid costs, and federal administrators would need to approve any changes to the program.
McCrory has repeatedly called Medicaid "broken"; the program routinely runs over budget. Changing to managed care would allow the state to better control costs in the
A change of plans
The outlines of a plan presented Thursday differed from the proposal state
Requiring statewide coverage would make it more likely that only large managed care insurance companies would be able to qualify for the work. Breaking the state into regions would make it easier for provider networks already in the state to bid for contracts, said
"We want to allow for local solutions and variations across the state," Atlas said. The shift to managed care would take place gradually, he said, and probably not take full effect until 2020.
"There are a lot of details to be worked out," he said. "We want to give them the support they need to be successful."
Solution questioned
Rep.
"Are those really needed to get to payment reform?" he asked of managed care companies. "Can that be done without them? If they are needed, at what cost, and to whom?"
Dollar, chief budget writer in the state House, is a supporter of Community Care of
There was no mention, for example, of
"He's not providing examples of states where there were big problems with managed care," Searing said. "I think he would have enhanced his credibility if he did that."
Medicaid enrollment has been largely flat in the last two years, said
The national average increase in total Medicaid spending last year was 3.8 percent, according to a
Slight miscalculations of future Medicaid expenses have big implications for the state, Brennan said. In most places, 99 percent accuracy means "you're doing pretty well," but in Medicaid, 1 percent means a swing of
"That's a pretty steep hit," he said. "We almost have to be miraculous in our forecasting ability."
Bonner: 919-829-4821; Twitter: @Lynn_Bonner
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