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

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AIND HUMAN SERVICES Office of the Secretary
TO: June Gibbs Brown
Office of Inspector General
FROM: Acting Assistant Secretary for Health
Assistant Secratarv tor Health
Office of Public Heelth and Science
Washington D.C. 20201
SUBJECT: Draft: Retooling <strong>Medicaid</strong> Agencies for<strong>Managed</strong> <strong>Care</strong> (c/-a,-95 -
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on your draft report: "Retooling <strong>Medicaid</strong> Agencies
for <strong>Managed</strong> <strong>Care</strong>." This issue continues to be extrenely iportant as mnore states submit and
reccivc approval of their 1115 Demnonstration waivers. Cormanents and recomsnendasions relativ:
to enhancing state <strong>Medicaid</strong> agencies preparedness for conversion to managed care are attached.
They center on four areas which states could focus on to enchance the transition process to
<strong>Medicaid</strong> <strong>Managed</strong> <strong>Care</strong>:
I. Broad and explicit state health department involvement at all stages of the 111 5
process;
2. The need for broader atakeholder involvement at the state and local levels;
3. The need to strengthen the integration of public health concerns into the overall
1115 waiver process, with particular emphasis on implementation; and
4. Strengthening compliance, monitoring and evaluation at the state level.
I appreciate the opportunity to provide you with our input and trust that you will consider these
recommendations. Once again, thank you for soliciting our input.
Attachment
(4.mn M. Eisenberg-, Mb
U.S. Public health Senrice