By Melissa Patrick /Kentucky Health News
Kentucky will start phasing in its new Medicaid program in July, so the state and other stakeholders have created tools and “explainers” to help Medicaid enrollees and others understand the changes and deal with them. The program is expected to be fully implemented by the end of the year.
The state’s new Medicaid plan, called Kentucky HEALTH for “Helping to Engage and Achieve Long Term Health,” includes, among other things: work or training requirements, reporting changes in status, lock-out periods for failure to comply, and premiums and co-payments. The changes will largely impact “able-bodied” Kentuckians who have gained Medicaid coverage through the expansion, which covers people with incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.
A county-by-county spreadsheet of enrollment in Medicaid, as of January 2018, is at http://www.uky.edu/comminfostudies/irjci/MedicaidbycountyJan2018.xlsx.
An interactive tool the state doesn’t like
WFPL, a public radio station in Louisville, has created an interactive tool called “Kentucky Medicaid Waiver Calculator,” to help Medicaid enrollees and others figure out how it will affect them, based on family size, income and other factors.
“It breaks down the changes for people in various situations in a straight-forward way, arming Medicaid enrollees with more information before the changes kick in on July 1,” Lisa Gillespie and Alexandra Kanik, who jointly created the calculator, report for WFPL.
After consulting several health policy experts to assure the accuracy of the tool, Gillespie and Kanik write that they reached out to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, but cabinet spokesman Doug Hogan declined and threw cold water on the whole thing: “Any tool created outside of this system would most certainly provide inaccurate information to current and potential beneficiaries.”
The interactive tool will be updated as more is learned about the affected populations, Gillespie and Kanik report. They add that “the best way to get information on eligibility and current benefits is through Benefind,” the state’s online portal.
The state is offering provider forums for Medicaid managed-care organizations, and two of the five MCOs, Passport Health Plan and Wellcare Health Plans, are offering workshops for health-care providers on the changes.
Wellcare President Bill Jones said in a news release that his firm has been working closely with the state to prepare for the changes, including efforts to be able to connect Kentuckians with the job training or volunteer opportunities they will need under the new program.
“From revamping our website, so people can easily check whether they’re meeting the requirements of Kentucky HEALTH, to enhancing the training of the people taking questions by phone, we are working to ensure a seamless experience for our members,” Jones said.