From Florida to California, states are expanding contracts with managed care plans-especially for the care of the most costly Medicaid beneficiaries: the aged and disabled. Savings seem likely, but what about the impact on quality of care? Amid a still-weak economy and strained state finances, it's little wonder that states are putting the squeeze on one of the biggest line items in their budgets: Medicaid. According to a recent survey by the National Governors Association and National Association of State Budget Officers, forty-nine states plan to cut or freeze their Medicaid payments to providers, thirty-two will accelerate efforts to combat fraud, and twenty-five will impose limits on covered benefits in fiscal year 2012.
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