Medicaid Managed Care - U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

PEOPLE WITH SPECLAL NEEDS
TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 1997
U.S. SENATE,
SPECIAL COIMNrITEE ON AGING,
Washington, DC.
The forum met, pursuant to notice, at 9:30 a.m., in the Dirksen
<strong>Senate</strong> Office Building. Ms. Susan Christensen, Public Policy Fellow,
presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR CHARLES GRASSLEY,
CHAPMAN
Each year, States have enrolled increasing numbers of <strong>Medicaid</strong>
beneficiaries into mandatory managed care plans. For many of
these beneficiaries, <strong>Medicaid</strong> managed care provides services that
were otherwise unavailable. Yet many beneficiaries currently enrolled
in managed care have experienced serious difficulties in
accessing appropriate health care services. As States begin to consider
enrolling additional groups of <strong>Medicaid</strong> beneficiaries into
managed care plans, namely elderly and ersons with special
needs, it is essential that we take a close loo at the kind of care
that these populations require, and whether managed care is ready
and able to provide these services.
In order to examine the impact of mandated <strong>Medicaid</strong> managed
care on the elderly and others with special needs, the Aging <strong>Committee</strong>
planned this series of forums which takes a critical, yet balanced,
look at the changes brought about by the use of managed
care in <strong>Medicaid</strong> programs.
A careful assessment should be made of the structural features
of <strong>Medicaid</strong> managed care plans that can affect the delivery of care
to persons who are elderly or have special needs. These forums are
an important source of information that I hope will shed light on
the challenges that both beneficiaries and States face as mandated
managed care becomes a reality for many people with chronic conditions.
It is clear that States will have to resolve difficult issues when
they develop managed care programs that enroll people with chronic
conditions. It is especially important that States make informed
decisions when selecting plans to serve vulnerable populations. At
this time there is considerable concern that most managed care
plans are not yet prepared to effectively serve special needs populations.
This does not mean that persons with special needs will
never fare well in managed care. In fact, it is clear that there are
managed care plans that are doing an excellent job. However, it is
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