Solving Medicaid

2 Pages 509 Words

How to Solve the Medicaid Crisis

Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that covers more than 47 million people, including 24 million children, 11 million adults and 13 million elderly and disabled people. In fiscal year 2003, combined federal and state payments totaled $247 billion; the program is the largest source of federal funds to the states. Most programs are struggling to find ways to keep providers and beneficiaries in the program. It seems every year states announce the need for reform while providers and enrollees continue to complain about problems that never seem close to being solved. The question remains: How can we save Medicaid?
States are employing a wide variety of tactics to improve their Medicaid programs. On the provider side, many states are doing what they can to raise reimbursement rates despite significant budget shortfalls and declining revenue. On the beneficiary side, many programs are developing or enhancing patient education materials and services to help reduce cancelled appointments and late arrivals. To address appointment cancellations, several programs are stepping up their efforts in the area of patient education and provider support. They will also help provide transportation to those who have no way of getting to the office.
Many states have focused on streamlining and simplifying administration. This means more programs are eliminating prior authorization for many procedures, adopting ADA billing codes, simplifying enrollment and speeding up the reimbursement process. In some states, providers use a swipe card to receive information verifying patient eligibility and describing program restrictions, private insurance coverage and other data. Personally, I think that swipe card is a great way of letting you know what the exact bill is going to be when you leave the office.
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