government
States face challenges to expanding Medicaid, GAO says
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Aug. 20, 2012
States are reporting challenges in expanding their Medicaid programs under the Affordable Care Act and want more guidance from the federal government, the Government Accountability Office said in an August report.
Expanding Medicaid to individuals at or below 133% by 2014 means that states must streamline enrollment methods and expand eligibility levels, the GAO reported. In analyzing the activities in six states — Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, New York and Virginia — the GAO found that the states were in some stage of preparation for the expansion, such as applying to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for enhanced federal funding, upgrading their information technology systems and assessing their eligibility policies.
Additional federal funds will assist in updating enrollment and eligibility systems, but more guidance is needed on methods for calculating a person’s eligibility, officials said. “States also reported operational challenges that could affect their ability to meet Medicaid expansion and system development deadlines, such as lengthy state procurement processes, the complexities of developing new systems, coordination of multiple programs and systems and resource limitations,” according to the GAO.
The report is available online (link).
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2012/08/20/gvbf0820.htm.
