New Report Details How Dynamic Medicaid Managed Care Programs Are Improving Health of Beneficiaries
Posted on: Tuesday, 8 March 2005, 12:00 CST
WASHINGTON, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) today released a new report that details how health insurance plans serving Medicaid beneficiaries across the country have put in place programs that are improving the health care of beneficiaries and providing value to state governments through innovative and cost-effective programs.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040830/AHIPLOGO )
Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP, said that health plans have played an important role for state governments and Medicaid beneficiaries.
"Our members have designed programs that work for Medicaid beneficiaries and also for the states," Ignagni said. "The successful programs implemented by health insurance plans and outlined in this report demonstrate quality improvement and cost containment through innovative outreach programs that meet budgetary needs, consumer expectations and provide access to more coordinated and effective health care."
Ignagni said that health insurance plans are reaching out to underserved parents and children, to the elderly and disabled, and to patients struggling with chronic illnesses who have never had ongoing relationships with caring health professionals -- and offering them the advantages of comprehensive services and coordinated care. She cited several statistics that showed clear progress resulting from an assortment of these pioneering programs:
* Access to care: Medicaid participants served by health plans in New York
City report better access to care than patients in the fee-for-service
program, and are more likely to have a regular source of care and to
seek care at a doctor's office rather than in emergency rooms.
* Prenatal care: Infant mortality rates in Rhode Island have dropped
dramatically-from 4.5 deaths per 1,000 births to 1.9 per 1,000-since
health insurance plans began providing care for pregnant women enrolled
in the state Medicaid program.
* Asthma: Children with asthma enrolled in Medicaid health insurance plans
in Wisconsin are significantly less likely to require hospitalization
than asthmatic children in the state's fee-for-service program.
* Diabetes: Among Medicaid participants with diabetes in North Carolina,
those served by health insurance plans are three times more likely to
properly monitor and control their blood glucose levels.
In the past decade, state and federal lawmakers have increasingly recognized the value of managed care to the Medicaid program's long-term stability and sustainability. As of June 2003, according to data compiled by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), about 39% of the 42 million Medicaid participants were enrolled in health insurance plans providing comprehensive health care services, and another 20% were covered by less comprehensive versions of managed care. Meanwhile the fee-for-service system, although covering less than half of the total Medicaid population, accounted for more than 80% of all Medicaid spending.
"Today's report demonstrates the tangible value health insurance plans provide to the nation's low-income and elderly Americans covered by Medicaid," Ms. Ignagni said. "With innovative programs and stubborn determination, health insurance plans are working to make Medicaid more effective."
The following health insurance plans' programs are highlighted in the report:
* Affinity Health Plan
* AMERIGROUP Corp.
* Arizona Physicians IPA
* Blue Cross of California
* Blue Cross BlueShield of Minnesota
* Blue Cross BlueShield of Western New York
* Blue Cross BlueShield of Tennessee
* CareSource
* Fallon Community Health Plan
* Great Lakes Health Plan
* Group Health Cooperative
* Health Net of California, Inc.
* Health Partners
* Kaiser Foundation Health Plan
* Keystone Mercy Health Plan
* L.A. Care Health Plan
* Medica Health Plans
* Neighborhood Health Plan
* Optima Health
* Passport Health Plan
* Santa Clara Family Health Plan
* UCare Minnesota
* UniCare Health Plan of Virginia
* UPMC Health Plan
America's Health Insurance Plans - Providing Health Benefits
to More Than 200 Million Americans
To view the report please visit http://www.ahip.org/
Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040830/AHIPLOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
America's Health Insurance Plans
CONTACT: Susan Pisano of America's Health Insurance Plans,+1-202-778-3245, or spisano@ahip.org
Web site: http://www.ahip.net/
Source: PRNewswire
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