Medicaid is a federal-state program that intends to provide health care and health-related services to low-income individuals. MFH offers papers and fact sheets about Medicaid to increase understanding about the program and to provide information on changes to Medicaid policy, especially changes made to the Missouri Medicaid program.

Effects of the 2005 Missouri Medicaid Legislation on Recipients:
Measuring Changes in Coverage, Care, and Health Status

Prepared by: Deborah Chase, MPA, Consultant and Project Director; Leah Kemper, MPH, Coordinator, and William A. Peck, M., Director, Center for Health Policy, Washington University School of Medicine
Date: May 2008

This study details the impact of the cuts to the Medicaid program enacted in 2005 by the Missouri Legislature and signed into law by Governor Blunt, as well as the resulting challenges that face the state moving forward.

View Full Report (PDF) | View Fact Sheet (PDF) | View News Release

Medicaid Basics Reports:

Medicaid Basics 2008
Prepared by
Date: Winter 2008

Missouri Medicaid Basics provides an overview of the state's Medicaid Program prior to the beginning of the 2008 legislative session. The paper contains details on eligibility, key programs, delivery systems and financing and expenditures. The paper also has information on the Missouri Health Improvement Act of 2007.

View this report (PDF)

Medicaid Basics 2007
Prepared by M. Ryan Barker, MSW, Missouri Foundation for Health
Date: Winter 2007

This paper gives an overview of the Missouri Medicaid Program prior to the start of the 2007 legislative session. The paper details eligibility requirements, key Missouri Medicaid programs, delivery systems and financing and expenditures.

View this report (PDF)

Medicaid Basics 2006
Prepared by M. Ryan Barker, MSW, Missouri Foundation for Health
Date: Winter 2006

This paper provides an overview of the Missouri Medicaid Program, as it exists prior to the 2006 legislative session. It explains eligibility requirements, the key programs within Medicaid such as MC+, financing and expenditures, the various delivery systems and services provided through Medicaid.

View this report (PDF)

Medicaid Basics 2005
Prepared by M. Ryan Barker, MSW, Missouri Foundation for Health
Date: Winter 2005

This paper provides a basic overview of the Missouri Medicaid Program, as of the start of the 2005 legislative session. It explains eligibility requirements, the key programs within Medicaid such as MC+, financing and expenditures, the various delivery systems and services provided through Medicaid.

View this report (PDF)

Medicaid Reform Reports:

MFH, in collaboration with the Health Foundation of Greater Kansas City, contracted with Health Management Associates (HMA) to produce a series of reports on Medicaid reform in Missouri. The following reports and fact sheets offer insights and policy analysis regarding reform concepts, the Deficit Reduction Act and its impact on Medicaid reform, and how the state's safety net may be impacted by changes in Missouri's Medicaid program.

Report 1 -Medicaid Reform Elements in States Adopting Deficit Reduction Act State Plan Amendments: Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, and West Virginia
This analysis describes policy developments in states using new Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) authority to make changes to their Medicaid programs. Four states with approved DRA-related state plan amendments are examined. The case studies provide a sense of the flexibility offered under the DRA, the limitations to that flexibility, and innovative ways states are applying the authority to meet their own particular objectives. The study provides a basis for considering how key policy elements may or may not apply in Missouri Medicaid. HMA identifies implications and considerations for safety net providers, makes recommendations for approaches that enhance positive possibilities, and suggests ways to mitigate potential negative impacts of DRA provisions.

View the full report here. (PDF)
Executive Summary- View here

Report 2- An Analysis of Medicaid Reform Concepts and Their Impact on the Health Care Safety Net
As states have developed comprehensive Medicaid reform initiatives, some have defined and others refined a series of conceptual elements that form the parameters within which the Medicaid reform debate is being conducted. This paper and its fact sheets explore the concepts currently being used by other states in reforming their Medicaid program. In addition, HMA analyzes how these concepts, if implemented in Missouri, may impact the state's safety net.

View the report here (PDF).

Fact Sheets for Report 2: (in PDF format)
Glossary- View here
Concept #1: Benefit Package Flexibility- View here
Concept #2: Cost-Sharing- View here
Concept #3: Member Agreements- View here
Concept #4: Enhanced Benefit Accounts- View here
Concept #5: Quality Outcomes- View here
Concept #6: Long-Term Care Partnership Plans- View here
Concept #7: Revenue Preservation- View here
Concept #8: Managed Care Expansion- View here
Concept #9: Managed Care for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled Population- View here
Concept #10: Primary Care Case Management- View here
Concept #11: Health Information Technology- View here
Conclusions and Recommendations- View here

Report 3- 2005 Medicaid Cuts: An Assessment of the Impact on Missouri's Safety Net
This report provides an assessment of the impact that the 2005 Medicaid changes have had on Missouri's safety net.

View the full report. (Coming soon)

Florida Medicaid Reform Fact Sheet
This analysis provides an overview of Florida's current Medicaid program and the state's plan for Medicaid reform. The fact sheet includes an overview of the goals and objectives of the reform plan, as well as background on the reform process, implementation strategies, and program highlights. Highlighting the development of Florida's Medicaid reform may assist Missouri policymakers as they examine reform plans for this state's Medicaid program.

View the fact sheet in MS Word or PDF format.

Medicaid Policy Updates

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005: Impact on Medicaid
Prepared by M. Ryan Barker, MSW, Missouri Foundation for Health
Date: Fall 2006

This fact sheet discusses the impact of the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) on Medicaid policy, including provisions related to benefits and cost-sharing that states may now implement through the State Plan Amendment (SPA) process instead of the formal waiver process. It explains both mandatory and optional Medicaid changes found in the DRA, as well as how these changes may shift costs to beneficiaries while limiting coverage and access to health care services for Medicaid beneficiaries.

View this report (PDF)

The State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

In light of the Congressional reauthorization slated to occur in 2007, MFH has prepared a fact sheet to emphasize the important role that the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has played in decreasing the number of uninsured children both nationally and in Missouri.

SCHIP, created in 1997, was the largest expansion of public health insurance coverage since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid. Designed to build on the success of Medicaid, SCHIP provided states with the resources to cover uninsured children whose family incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid but too low to afford private insurance.

The MFH fact sheet also highlights the discussion now occurring as Congress considers reauthorization of SCHIP in 2007. The program’s reauthorization provides these policymakers with the opportunity to not only fund the program at a level sufficient to maintain coverage for those already enrolled, but to increase funding so that even more of the nation’s uninsured children can receive health coverage.

View this fact sheet (PDF)