Medicaid makeover

Gov. Brownback announced big changes in how Medicaid functions in Kansas, hoping to reduce the soaring cost AND at the same time improve the health of the people covered by it.

Courier story shows that local officials are uncertain on how it would affect their agencies - Vets Home, Developmentally Disabled, etc.

It contains some interesting goals of providing incentives for healthier behavior. The big structural change is contracting out the service to a managed care provider who has to meet cost and health outcome standards. The plan also intends to help the really sick Medicaid recipients receive more attention to help get them better and more integrated care, which could reduce the cost on the system.

This sounds like bringing more government involvement in the lives of medicaid recipients, the same thing Obama was criticized for in making changes to Medicaid and the health system as a whole.

The details of how this will all work are yet to come, but it does hold some promise if the goals of helping medicaid recipients get healthier and lowering the costs come to pass.