Publications
Pooling and Braiding Funds for Health-Related Social Needs: Lessons from Virginia’s Children’s Services Act
Low-income and at-risk populations often need services and supports outside the scope of a single state agency in order to live productive, healthy lives. State health policymakers seeking to combine funding streams to meet health-related social needs could benefit from learning about Virginia’s long-term experience pooling funds to meet the needs of at-risk youth and families through its […]
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In the Zone: State Strategies to Advance Health Equity by Investing in Community Health
In the wake of national health care reform, many states are transforming their health care delivery systems to improve the health of populations while controlling costs. Reducing health disparities—and addressing the social and economic conditions driving them—is at the heart of many of these efforts. Embedded within larger statewide system transformations such as enhanced primary […]
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State Levers to Advance Accountable Communities for Health
States are testing a myriad of models that strive to achieve the Triple Aim objectives of improved care, reduced health care costs, and better health. Though several statewide health care delivery and payment system reforms have been shown to help slow the growth of health care expenditures and improve methods for delivering health care, taken […]
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State Medicaid and Early Intervention Agency Partnerships to Promote Healthy Child Development
Facilitating a robust system of communication and coordination between medical and community service providers, an important goal of many health care delivery system reforms, is challenging for many states. With a variety of federal and state agencies sharing responsibility for child health and development, creating effective linkages among services is critical to optimizing outcomes. This […]
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Strategies to Increase Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (LARC) in Medicaid
This issue brief, developed by NASHP and NICHQ, details the use of LARC in preventing unplanned pregnancies, the current availability and education for women, barriers to prescribing LARC, and potential Medicaid reimbursement models to improve LARC access. The issue brief was developed as part of the Collaborative Improvement and Innovation Network to Reduce Infant Mortality […]
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Managed Care for Medicaid Dental Services: Insights from Kentucky
A growing number of states are administering Medicaid managed care contracts that include both medical and dental services. In 2015, Kentucky identified dental services as one of seven key areas where the state wanted to achieve measurable improvement in its Medicaid managed care contracts. This case study examines the history of dental managed care in […]
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Managing Medicaid Managed Care: New State Strategies to Promote Accountability and Performance
As the scope of State Medicaid agencies becomes wider and more complex, states are increasingly turning to managed care organizations (MCOs) to cover Medicaid enrollees, including those with complex needs. This shift from a fee-for-service, volume-based payment model requires states to effectively manage MCOs and other vendors. With states facing tight budgets, limited staff, and […]
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States and Prescription Drugs: An Overview of State Programs to Rein in Costs
States are significant purchasers of health care for Medicaid, inmates in correctional facilities, and public employees. Despite considerable efforts to maintain affordability, drug pricing continues to vex state budgets. While Medicaid is the largest single health expenditure in state budgets, spending on health care for public workers including state employees and retirees, legislators, judicial employees, […]
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Answering the Thousand-Dollar Debt Question: An Update on State Legislative Activity to Address Surprise Balance Billing
As the newly insured use their coverage, increased scrutiny is being drawn toward the experiences of consumers who are receiving care. One issue of growing concern is the accumulation of medical debt, even among the insured. According to a recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation, more than a quarter of adults in the United […]
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Using CHIP and the ACA to Better Serve Children Now and in the Future
States have made great strides in providing children in families with low-to-moderate income appropriate and affordable health coverage over the past two decades through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The Affordable Care Act (ACA) created new coverage options for other populations, including parents who were previously uninsured. However, the ACA also includes […]
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