The Strong Start for Mothers and Newborns initiative is working with hospitals to reduce premature births by reducing the number of early elective deliveries. This is a public-private partnership and awareness campaign to reduce the rate of non-medically indicated elective deliveries prior to 39...

After Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the storm displaced thousands of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida residents. Many of them had already been enrolled in Medicaid and many others who were left jobless and without their employer health insurance found themselves in need of health...

The Medicaid program covers services to treat Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which affects an estimated 1 in 68 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ASD is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges...

In the United States, there are more than 1.1 million Americans living with HIV and Medicaid is a major source of health coverage for those of them who are eligible. Before the Affordable Care Act, most individuals living with HIV were ineligible for Medicaid unless they had very low incomes, or...

Substance use disorders (SUD) affect the lives of millions of Americans, including Medicaid beneficiaries. Nearly 12 percent of people over age 18 with Medicaid coverage have a substance use disorder (SUD). In 2009, Medicaid accounted for 21 percent of U.S. spending on services for people with...

Social factors, such as housing, employment and access to nutritious food, can strongly influence an individual’s health status. One program that is demonstrating the importance of addressing a patient’s social needs is Hennepin Health , an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) that...

As a result of the Affordable Care Act and the Medicaid expansion currently being implemented in more than half the states, millions more Americans than ever before now have health coverage. Much attention is focusing on making sure that an adequate health care workforce is in place to meet...

Delivering high quality health care to every beneficiary is central to the mission of the Medicaid and CHIP. To help develop a system that assures quality, federal and state government partners are working together to measure and monitor specific quality of care indicators. Two core sets of...

A key element of health reform is to change the way we pay for care. Paying for value, not volume, emphasizes the importance of achieving positive health outcomes over the number of physician visits or hospital stays. Ensuring that beneficiaries receive high quality care, have a positive experience...

Not very long ago, applying for Medicaid could be a complex, time-intensive, and paper-dependent process. It could require an in-person interview at a government office, a major stumbling block for working people who were unable to take time away from their jobs to apply. Even as more states...