Medicaid managed care expansion, other changes approved

Contracts have been signed, provider networks have been established and client letters have been mailed. On March 1, Medicaid managed care expands to 174 additional Texas counties including those in the Rio Grande Valley. The spread of Medicaid managed care is just one of several changes in a waiver approved Dec. 12 by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

The five-year waiver also includes a provision that gives Texas hospitals continued access to billions of dollars for care of the poor and uninsured in exchange for increased quality of care and better management of costs. Key to the new funding setup is establishment of regional partnerships that will promote health care improvements through incentive payments.

To learn more about the approved waiver, visit the Medicaid Improvements page of the HHSC website. For more on Texas’ Medicaid managed care expansion, including a list of events for people with Medicaid who are new to managed care, visit the Medicaid Managed Care Initiatives page.