New Medicaid Managed Care Contract Positions Ohio to Substantially Improve Access to Health Care for Vulnerable People
Our partners at the Ohio Poverty Law Center released their most recent report, A Brighter Future for Ohio’s Medicaid Managed Care Program, which examines provisions of the new Medicaid Managed Care contract that should improve legal aid clients’ ability to access services. The Ohio Department of Medicaid released its Request for Applications for the provision of Managed Care health care services to Ohioans enrolled in the program on September 30, 2020. The Department is expected to award contracts as early as this week.
The Ohio Department of Medicaid sought comments on the state of its managed care program from Medicaid recipients, advocates, and other consumer stakeholders throughout 2019 and received nearly 1,000 responses. The legal aid community responded by highlighting multiple issues that needed to be addressed to better serve low-income Ohioans. The report highlights four areas where the new contract makes improvements that can significantly improve the managed care program:
Services to children, especially those with complex health issues,
Grievance and appeals process requirements for contracted plans,
Care coordination, and
Social determinants of health.
“If fully implemented and enforced, the new Medicaid plan can dramatically improve program performance and outcomes for the one in four Ohioans who receives health care coverage through Medicaid managed care,” said Graham Bowman, staff attorney for the Ohio Poverty Law Center. “The new contract positions Ohio to make substantial improvements in addressing access issues for low-income Ohioans.”
Read the full report HERE