Health Affairs – Grant Watch cited two reports authored by Manatt Health professionals as a part of an article about how grant money can be used to fine-tune Medicaid, including examples of foundation-funded reports from the past year aimed at improving Medicaid in the U.S.
As state Medicaid agencies attempt to improve health cost-effectiveness, they must understand how Medicaid (mainly as a health insurance program) can be used to cover the costs of social services linked to enrollees’ health. Manatt Health’s “Medicaid Coverage of Social Interventions: A Road Map for States,” an issue brief geared toward policy makers, says that “extensive research” shows the effect of social factors, such as access to food and housing, “on the health and health outcomes of Americans,” particularly low-income individuals. The report was authored by partner Deborah Bachrach, manager Ariel Levin and managing director Jocelyn Guyer.
The California Health Care Foundation asked Manatt to look at Medi-Cal’s current status and to consider delivery system reforms, particularly for Medi-Cal managed care, and payment reforms. The results of Manatt Health’s study was a report titled “Moving Medi-Cal Forward on the Path to Delivery System Transformation,” which notes that Medi-Cal is “the largest single source of health insurance in [California].” The program is at a crossroads because important aspects of its design and financing “have not kept pace with the dramatic changes in the size and composition” of the population it covers and in its responsibilities, according to the report, which was authored by partner Cindy Mann, directors Alice Lam and Naomi Newman, and consultant Keith Nevitt.
Read the article here.