Current:Home > ContactNorth Carolina Medicaid managed care extended further starting this week -FinanceAcademy
North Carolina Medicaid managed care extended further starting this week
View
Date:2025-04-18 07:28:51
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina Medicaid managed care has finally been extended to Medicaid enrollees who also need services for behavioral health or intellectual or developmental disabilities.
More than 210,000 people could benefit from “tailored plans” that launched on Monday, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
“This is another critical milestone in our work to build a stronger, more outcomes-oriented and accessible behavioral health system for North Carolina,” state health Secretary Kody Kinsley said in a recent news release.
Under the initiative, enrollees were formally told in the spring that starting July 1 their care would be handled through one of four companies based on geographic areas. While patients will continue to receive their array of services related to their disabilities or mental health needs, they’ll also now use primary care physicians, doctors and specialists within their plan’s network.
In July 2021, about two-thirds of the state’s Medicaid enrollees switched over from a traditional fee-for-service system to one in which health plans received monthly payments for each patient they enrolled and treated. But such changes were postponed for people with severe disabilities and mental health needs.
A “tailored plan” start date had been set for December 2022, but DHHS pushed it back multiple times, citing the need for more contract service providers and technical challenges for behavioral health organizations to coordinate the care.
Almost 3 million people in North Carolina are now enrolled in some version of Medicaid, according to DHHS data. They include adults who began qualifying for Medicaid late last year after the state accepted the expanded coverage provided through the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act.
With tailored plans now online, about 587,000 enrollees won’t be in Medicaid managed care, the department said on Tuesday. They include those who are both eligible for Medicaid and Medicare; certain adults with disabilities who receive community- and home-based services; and others who receive limited services such as for family planning, DHHS said.
Enrollees who otherwise qualify for tailored plans but opt out may miss out on services that other Medicaid managed care plans don’t provide, according to a DHHS presentation.
Medicaid managed care in North Carolina began with a 2015 state law laying the groundwork, followed by extensive preparations — and delays. Managed care has been portrayed as improving health outcomes and controlling costs.
veryGood! (58248)
Related
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Nigeria slashes transport fees during the holidays to ease some of the pain of austerity measures
- Israel’s military campaign in Gaza seen as among the most destructive in history, experts say
- Actor Jonathan Majors found guilty on 2 charges in domestic assault trial
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- What is a song that gives you nostalgia?
- After 58 deaths on infamous Pacific Coast Highway, changes are coming. Will they help?
- The Super League had its day in court and won. What is it and why do some fans and clubs object?
- IRS recovers $4.7 billion in back taxes and braces for cuts with Trump and GOP in power
- Apple loses latest bid to thwart patent dispute threatening to stop U.S. sales of two watch models
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Kamala Harris to embark on reproductive freedoms tour as Biden campaign makes abortion a central issue
- Carson Briere, fellow ex-Mercyhurst athlete get probation in wheelchair incident
- Aaron Rodgers' recovery story proves he's as good a self-promoter as he is a QB
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- Storm prompts evacuations, floods, water rescues in Southern California: Live updates
- Ex-NBA player allegedly admitted to fatally strangling woman in Las Vegas, court documents show
- Two boys asked Elf on the Shelf to bring home their deployed dad. Watch what happened.
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Oklahoma judge rules Glynn Simmons, man who wrongfully spent nearly 50 years in prison for murder, is innocent
Meet 'Ricardo': NJ Transit sells plush toy inspired by loose bull spotted on train tracks
Weekly US unemployment claims rise slightly but job market remains strong as inflation eases
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
Ja Morant back in Memphis where his return should help the Grizzlies fill seats
Selena Gomez Reveals What She's Looking for in a Relationship Amid Benny Blanco Romance
College football early signing day winners and losers include Alabama, Nebraska