ADvancing States and CHCS Release Report on MLTSS

News date

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC – the ADvancing States is pleased to announce the release of a new report, Demonstrating the Value of Medicaid MLTSS Programs, developed in partnership with the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). The report also marks the first in a series of publications from the MLTSS Institute, which was established in 2016 to drive improvements in key MLTSS policy areas, facilitate sharing and learning among states, and provide direct and intensive technical assistance to states and health plans.   

In recognition of a lack of reliable and robust information on the value of state managed long-term services and supports (MLTSS) programs nationally, the report aims to partially fill the gap with data and evidence from a survey of state agencies and a review of relevant outside research.  It is also intended to serve as a jumping off point for future study.

Martha Roherty, ADvancing States Executive Director, believes this study is badly needed.  “As we are out providing technical assistance to states seeking to implement MLTSS, we are continually asked by stakeholders for evidence that MLTSS works.  We are so pleased that this study begins to answer those questions with hard state data.”

States identified the following issues as important outcomes to pursue when implementing an MLTSS program and to measure when demonstrating its value:

  • Rebalancing Medicaid LTSS spending from institutional care to home and community based services;
  • Improving member experience, quality of life, and health outcomes;
  • Reducing waiting lists for waiver services and increasing access; and
  • Increasing budget predictability and managing costs.

“As states collect and share more MLTSS program data–such as measures of consumers’ health status and other variables like cost and service utilization–they can demonstrate value and build stakeholder support for their programs,” said Stephen A. Somers, CHCS President and CEO.

ADvancing States hopes that this report will generate a national dialogue on the value of MLTSS programs, stimulate thoughtful policy development and program design, and promote high performing state systems that provide care for older adults and persons with disabilities.

Read the report here.

The ADvancing States represents the nation’s 56 state and territorial agencies on aging and disabilities and supports visionary state leadership, the advancement of state systems innovation and the articulation of national policies that support home and community based services for older adults and individuals with disabilities.

The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) is a nonprofit policy center dedicated to improving the health of low-income Americans. It works with state and federal agencies, health plans, providers, and consumer groups to develop innovative programs that better serve beneficiaries of publicly financed care, especially those with complex, high-cost needs.

To read the press release, click here.