Children's Access to Dental Care in Connecticut's Medicaid Managed Care Program

Objective: To describe dental care utilization and access problems in Connecticut's Medicaid managed care program, using quantitative and qualitative research methods. Methods: Using Medicaid managed care enrollment and encounter data from Connecticut, utilization rates for preventive care and treatment services are determined for 87,181 children who were continuously enrolled in Medicaid managed care for 1 year in 1996–97. Sociodemographic and enrollment factors associated with utilization are identified using bivariate and multivariate methods. Dental providers and practices where children received services are described. Qualitative methods are used to characterize problems experienced by families seeking dental care during the study period. Results: Only 30.5% of children continuously enrolled in Medicaid managed care for 1 year received any preventive dental services; 17.8% received any treatment services. Children who received preventive care were eight times more likely to have received treatment services. Utilization was higher among (a) younger children, (b) children who lived in Hartford and in other counties served by public dental clinics, and (c) children enrolled in health plans that did not subcontract for administration of dental services. Just 5% of providers, primarily those in public dental clinics, performed 50% of the services. Families whose children needed care encountered significant administrative and logistical problems when trying to find willing providers and obtain appointments. Conclusions: Access to dental care is a problem for children in Connecticut's Medicaid managed care program. Several features of managed care have negatively affected access. Public dental clinics served many children across the state and contributed to higher utilization of preventive care and treatment services among children living in Hartford.     

Impact of the 1115 behavioral health Medicaid waiver on adult Medicaid beneficiaries in New York State

ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the Health and Recovery Plan (HARP), a capitated special needs Medicaid managed care product that fully integrates physical and behavioral health delivery systems in New York State.Data Sources2013‐2019 claims and encounters data on continuously enrolled individuals from the New York State Medicaid data system.Study DesignWe used a difference‐in‐difference approach with inverse probability of exposure weights to compare service use outcomes in individuals enrolled in the HARP versus HARP eligible comparison group in two regions, New York City (NYC) pre‐ (2013‐2015) versus post‐ (2016‐2018) intervention periods, and rest of the state (ROS) pre‐ (2014‐2016) versus post‐ (2017‐2019) intervention periods.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsNot applicable.Principal FindingsHARPs were associated with a relative decrease in all‐cause (RR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.68‐0.90), behavioral health‐related (RR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.60‐0.96), and nonbehavioral‐related (RR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.78‐0.97) stays in the NYC region. In the ROS region, HARPs were associated with a relative decrease in all‐cause (RR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.80‐0.94) and behavioral health‐related (RR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.70‐0.91) stays. Regarding outpatient visits, the HARPs benefit package were associated with a relative increase in behavioral health (RR = 1.21, 95% CI 1.13‐1.28) and nonbehavioral health (RR = 1.08, 95% CI 1.01‐1.15) clinic visits in the NYC region. In the ROS region, the HARPs were associated with relative increases in behavioral health (RR = 1.47, 95% CI 1.32‐1.64) and nonbehavioral health (RR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.11‐1.25) clinic visits.ConclusionsCompared to patients with similar clinical needs, HARPs were associated with a relative increase in services used and led to a better engagement in the HARPs group regardless of the overall decline in services used pre‐ to postperiod.     

The Impact of Continuous Medicaid Enrollment on Diagnosis,Treatment, and Survival in Six Surgical Cancers

ObjectiveTo examine the effect of Medicaid enrollment on the diagnosis, treatment, and survival of six surgically relevant cancers among poor and underserved Californians.ConclusionsExpansion of continuous insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act is likely to improve both access and clinical outcomes for cancer patients in California.     

Increased Children's Access to Fluoride Varnish Treatment by Involving Medical Care Providers: Effect of a Medicaid Policy Change

Background. In 2004, the State of Wisconsin introduced a change to their Medicaid Policy allowing medical care providers to be reimbursed for fluoride varnish treatment provided to Medicaid enrolled children.
Objective. To determine the extent by which a state-level policy change impacted access to fluoride varnish treatment (FVT) for Medicaid enrolled children.
Data Source. The Electronic Data Systems of Medicaid Evaluation and Decision Support database for Wisconsin from 2002 to 2006.
Study Design. We analyzed Wisconsin Medicaid claims for FVT for children between the ages of 1 and 6 years, comparing rates in the prepolicy period (2002–2003) to the period (2004–2006) following the policy change.
Principal Findings. Medicaid claims for FVT in 2002–2003 totaled 3,631. Following the policy change, claims for FVT increased to 28,303, with 38.0 percent submitted by medical care providers. FVT rates increased for children of both sexes and all ages, rising from 1.4 per 1,000 person-years of enrollment in 2002–2003 to 6.6 per 1,000 person-years in 2004–2006. Overall, 48.6 percent of the increase in FVT was attributable to medical care providers. The largest increase was seen in children 1–2 years of age, among whom medical care providers were responsible for 83.5 percent of the increase.
Conclusions. A state-level Medicaid policy change was followed by both a significant involvement of medical care providers and an overall increase in FVT. Children between the ages of 1 and 2 years appear to benefit the most from the involvement of medical care providers.     

State Medicaid fees and access to primary care physicians

Medicaid and uninsured patients are disadvantaged in access to care and are disproportionately Black and Hispanic. Using a national audit of primary care physicians, we examine the relationship between state Medicaid fees for primary care services and access for Medicaid, Medicare, uninsured, and privately insured patients who differ by race/ethnicity and sex. We found that states with higher Medicaid fees had higher probabilities of appointment offers and shorter wait times for Medicaid patients, and lower probabilities of appointment offers and longer wait times for uninsured patients. Appointment offers and wait times for Medicare and privately insured patients were unaffected by Medicaid fees. At mean state Medicaid fees, our analysis predicts a 27‐percentage‐point disadvantage for Medicaid versus Medicare in appointment offers. This decreases to 6 percentage points when Medicaid and Medicare fees are equal, suggesting that permanent fee parity with Medicare could eliminate most of the disparity in appointment offers for Medicaid patients. The predicted decrease in the disparity is smaller for Black and Hispanic patients than for White patients. Our research highlights the importance of considering the effects of policy on nontarget patient groups, and the consequences of seemingly race‐neutral policies on racial/ethnic and sex‐based disparities.     

The effect of two publicly funded insurance programs on use of dental services for young children

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to compare the use of dental services for preschool aged children enrolled in North Carolina Medicaid, a traditional program based on a fee-for-service schedule, and North Carolina Health Choice (NCHC), an State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP) dental insurance program structured similarly to private insurance. STUDY POPULATION: All children (165,858) 1-5 years of age enrolled in Medicaid and S-CHIP (NCHC) at some time during one study year (October 1, 1999-September 30, 2000). DATA SOURCES/EXTRACTION METHODS: Medicaid and NCHC enrollment and dental claims files were obtained for individual children. STUDY DESIGN: An observational study with a retrospective cohort design. Use of dental services for each child was measured as having at least one dental claim during the outcome period (October 1, 1999-September 30, 2000). Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to compare the effect of two differently administered insurance programs on the use of dental services, controlling for demographic, enrollment, and county characteristics. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: Children enrolled solely in S-CHIP (NCHC) were 1.6 times more likely (95 percent confidence intervals (CI)=1.50-1.79) to have a dental visit than those enrolled solely in Medicaid. Prediction models for children enrolled for 12 months indicated that those enrolled in S-CHIP (NCHC) had a significantly higher probability of having a dental visit (50 percent) than those enrolled in both plans (44 percent) or Medicaid only (39 percent), a trend found in all age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The S-CHIP (NCHC) program appears to provide children with increased access to dental care compared to children in the Medicaid program.     

Impact of Medicaid reimbursement on mental health quality indicators

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) for determining Medicaid reimbursement to nursing facilities and the MDS Quality Indicators examining nursing facility residents' mental health. DATA SOURCES: The 2004 National MDS facility Quality Indicator reports served as the dependent variables. Explanatory variables were based on the 2004 Online Survey Certification and Reporting system (OSCAR) and an examination of existing reports, a review of the State Medicaid Plans, and State Medicaid personnel. STUDY DESIGN: Multilevel regression models were used to account for the hierarchical structure of the data. DATA COLLECTION: MDS and OSCAR data were linked by facility identifiers and subsequently linked with state-level variables. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The use of the MDS for determining Medicaid reimbursement was associated with higher (poorer) quality indicator values for all four mental health quality indicators examined. This effect was not found in four comparison quality indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that documentation of mental health symptoms may be influenced by economic incentives. Policy makers should be cautioned from using these measures as the basis for decision making, such as with pay-for-performance initiatives.     

Adult Medicaid benefit generosity and receipt of recommended health services among low-income children: The spillover effects of Medicaid adult dental coverage expansions

Low-income children are less likely to receive recommended health services than their high-income counterparts. This paper examines whether the design of parental Medicaid benefit packages could serve as a mechanism for reducing income-based disparities in unmet health care needs, considering dental benefits as a case study. Leveraging state-level changes to adult dental benefits over time, I find that coverage is associated with increases of 14 and 5 percentage points, respectively, in the likelihood of a recent dental visit among parents and children directly exposed to the policy. Child effects appear to be concentrated among younger children under age 12.     

Effects of Medicaid managed care programs on health services access and use

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effects of Medicaid managed care (MMC) programs on Medicaid enrollees' access to and use of health care services at the national level. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: 1991-1995 National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) and a 1998 Urban Institute survey on state Medicaid managed care programs. STUDY DESIGN: Using multivariate regression models, we estimated the effect of living in a county with an MMC program on several access and use measures for nonelderly women who receive Medicaid through AFDC and child Medicaid recipients. We focus on mandatory programs and estimate separate effects for primary care case management (PCCM) programs, health maintenance organization (HMO) programs, and mixed PCCM/HMO programs, relative to fee-for-service (FFS) Medicaid. We control for individual and county characteristics, and state and year effects. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHOD: This study uses pooled individual-level data from up to five years of the NHIS (1991-1995), linked to information on Medicaid managed care characteristics at the county level from the 1998 MMC survey. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We find virtually no effects of mandatory PCCM programs. For women, mandatory HMO programs reduce some types of non-emergency room (ER) use, and increase reported unmet need for medical care. The PCCM/HMO programs increase access, but had no effects on use. For children, mandatory HMO programs reduce ER visits, and increase the use of specialists. The PCCM/HMO programs reduce ER visits, while increasing other types of use and access. CONCLUSIONS: Mandatory PCCM/HMO programs improved access and utilization relative to traditional FFS Medicaid, primarily for children. Mandatory HMO programs caused some access problems for women.