In the fall of 2012, the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange (MHBE) convened a stakeholder advisory committee to develop recommendations to promote continuity of care for individuals transitioning between health plans. In response to these recommendations, the Maryland Health Progress Act of 2013 established new statutory continuity of care requirements to advance Maryland’s progress in protecting residents from harmful disruptions in health care services and to promote the reasonable continuity of health care for all individuals who may be transitioning between plans. This law also requires the MHBE, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH), the Maryland Insurance Administration (MIA), and the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) to conduct a study on the implementation and efficacy of the continuity of care requirements. Hilltop conducted the study and drafted the report on behalf of the MHBE.
Hilltop staff presented at the 2018 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) in Seattle in June. Senior Policy Analyst Shamis Mohamoud, MA, gave this podium presentation, which provided an overview of Hilltop’s evaluation of the Maryland Health Home Program.
Hilltop staff presented at the 2018 AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting (ARM) in Seattle in June. Policy Analyst MaryAnn Mood, MA, presented this poster about Hilltop’s study regarding the gradual implementation of Community First Choice (CFC) in Maryland. CFC is an optional Medicaid state plan program authorized by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that enables states to provide home and community-based services (HCBS) to Medicaid-eligible individuals through their state plan and receive a 6 percent increase in their federal match.
This issue brief, published by the Commonwealth Fund, analyzes trends in paid and unpaid personal care and expenditures under a model Medicaid Community First Choice (CFC) program in Maryland. This brief highlights enrollment trends and costs per participant and concludes that a targeted benefit for Medicare beneficiaries could have a stable per-person cost and augment support from family and other unpaid caregivers, although take-up could increase over time to meet unmet need. Hilltop’s Cynthia Woodcock, Ian Stockwell, and Kaitlyn Whiton were contributing authors.
The authors of this article, published by the Journal of Applied Gerontology, interviewed stakeholders in Maryland, one of the first states to adopt CFC, to assess challenges, benefits, and potential implications of this Medicaid option for state and federal policy makers. Study findings suggest that expanding coverage for home and community-based services (HCBS) through CFC in Maryland has been financially feasible, expanded the personal care workforce, and supported a more equitable approach to personal care services. The article concludes that greater coverage for HCBS is a promising avenue to improve access to care for high-need Medicaid beneficiaries. Hilltop’s Cynthia Woodcock and Ian Stockwell were contributing authors.
The Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force, established by Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, recommends that the Maryland Department of Health review Maryland Medicaid rates for substance use disorder (SUD) services every three years. This chart book reviews SUD services provided by the Maryland Medicaid program from CY 2012 to CY 2016 and compares the rates with those of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.
This chart book outlines the demographics and service utilization for individuals enrolled in the Maryland Medicaid Dental Program who received services in calendar years 2012 through 2016. Individuals who qualify for dental services include those enrolled in Medicaid fee-for-service or a HealthChoice managed care organization.
This chart book compares the Medicaid reimbursement rates of Maryland and its surrounding states with Maryland’s Medicare fee schedule. The surrounding states included in this study are Pennsylvania; West Virginia; Virginia; Washington, DC; and Delaware.
Hilltop Senior Policy Analyst Charles Betley, MA, is a co-author of this top-cited article published in the journal Population Health Management. The article presents the findings of a study, funded by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which sought to examine whether Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation and benefit levels are associated with reduced subsequent hospital and emergency department utilization in low-income older adults who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid (dual eligibles). Researchers found that while participation in SNAP did reduce hospitalizations, it did not reduce ED visits. The research team is a collaboration led by Benefits Data Trust (BDT) including BDT, Hilltop, the Johns Hopkins Schools of Nursing and Public Health, and Northwestern University. Organizational partners include the Maryland Departments of Health and Human Resources.
Little is known about cost savings of programs that reduce disability in older adults. The objective of this study was to determine whether the Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders (CAPABLE) program saves Medicaid more money than it costs to provide.
Ian Stockwell, PhD, was co-author of this article published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society.