Improving Care While Reducing Costs: Three State Medicaid Programs Pursue the Holy Grail
<p>After decades of focusing on either improving the delivery of health care <em>or</em> reducing costs—and often experiencing conflicts between the two—many state policymakers now recognize that both strategies must be integrated to be effective.</p><p>That's especially the case in Colorado, Minnesota, and Vermont, where state Medicaid officials are pioneering innovative health care payment and delivery system reforms. A <a href="/publications/case-study/2013/mar/aligning-incentives-medicaid-how-colorado-minnesota-and-vermont">new series of case studies</a> from The Commonwealth Fund shows how each state is working to align incentives between health care payers and providers to coordinate care better, emphasize prevention and disease management, reduce avoidable use of services, and improve health outcomes for beneficiaries. Colorado and Minnesota are implementing accountable care models for Medicaid beneficiaries, while Vermont is pursuing multipayer approaches and a unified health care budget. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has awarded State Innovation Models grants to all three states to further plan, implement, or expand these initiatives. </p>
<p>Visit commonwealthfund.org to download the series overview <a href="/publications/case-study/2013/mar/aligning-incentives-medicaid-how-colorado-minnesota-and-vermont">How Colorado, Minnesota, and Vermont Are Reforming Care Delivery and Payment to Improve Health and Lower Costs</a> and the in-depth state case studies.</p>
<div><br />
</div>