Jennifer Mellor PhD, Peter Cunningham PhD, Erin Britton PhD, MPH & Lauryn Walker RN, PhD, MPH
ABSTRACT
Many state Medicaid programs contract with managed care organizations to deliver long-term services and supports (LTSS) to seniors and persons with disabilities. Managed LTSS (MLTSS) programs are often intended to increase access to and utilization of home- and community-based services (HCBS), yet there are few empirical studies of their effects. In this retrospective observational study, we used administrative data from Virginia Medicaid to compare HCBS waiver enrollment and service utilization pre- and post-implementation of MLTSS. Compared to the prior fee-for-service system, Medicaid beneficiaries with long-term care needs who were enrolled in Virginia’s MLTSS program were more likely to be enrolled in Virginia’s 1915(c) waivers for home and community-based services. Further, the likelihood of using personal care increased by nearly 5%, and the likelihood of using respite care increased by about 10%. These findings are pertinent to ongoing policy changes that use private managed care organizations to deliver long-term services and supports to seniors and persons with disabilities. Policymakers in states and the federal government should note these initial increases in service use under Medicaid MLTSS, while supporting evaluations of the long-term impacts of MLTSS on HCBS use and beneficiary health and satisfaction.