Medicaid continues to gain scale and importance nationally—as both the leading source of health coverage for Americans, and as a change agent within the healthcare marketplace. With the number of Americans obtaining health coverage through Medicaid at an all-time high, and mounting evidence of the benefits of Medicaid expansion—to patients, providers, and states—2016 will be a year of continued growth and change.

Interest in Medicaid expansion will remain high, enabled by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) willingness to consider alternative expansion designs. With the foundation of coverage laid and the push for payment and delivery system reform occurring in all parts of the healthcare system, expect states to ramp up their efforts to extract more value for their dollar. New payment vehicles that incentivize providers to adopt more effective and efficient models of care will continue to gain steam, along with renewed focus on the highest-cost and highest-need patients, including the frail elderly, the disabled, justice-involved populations, and those with serious mental health and substance abuse problems.

In a new white paper and webinar, summarized below, Manatt Health discusses the ten trends that we believe will define Medicaid in 2016.

• Trend 1: Medicaid Expansion Continues to Gain Traction.
• Trend 2: Data Takes Center Stage in Delivery System Transformation.
• Trend 3: Continued Evolution and Innovation for Medicaid Managed Care.
• Trend 4: New Opportunities for Improving and Integrating Behavioral Health.
• Trend 5: Moving Beyond Medical Services to Tackle the Social Determinants of Health.
• Trend 6: Rebalancing, Integration and Workforce Supports—Momentum Builds for LTSS Reform.
• Trend 7: Linking Medicaid and Criminal Justice Systems—Better Health, Reduced Costs, Less Recidivism.
• Trend 8: More Change Coming for Supplemental Payments.
• Trend 9: Access and Affordability Tensions Continue for Prescription Drugs.
• Trend 10: State Innovation Waivers Provide a New Angle in the Coverage Expansion Debate.

Additional Author:
Carol Raphael

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This program does not constitute legal advice, nor does it establish an attorney-client relationship. Views expressed by presenters are strictly their own and should not be construed to be the views of Manatt or attributed to Manatt.