HCN News & Notes

State, CMS Announce $52.4 Billion Deal for MassHealth Restructuring

BOSTON — The Baker-Polito administration received federal approval for its innovative, five-year Medicaid (MassHealth) 1115 waiver. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved waiver supports the restructuring of the MassHealth program to provide integrated, outcomes-based care to 1.9 million Massachusetts residents.

“Our administration is pleased to announce this innovative waiver as a major step toward creating a sustainable MassHealth system for the people of the Commonwealth,” said Gov. Charlie Baker. “This waiver is the first major overhaul of the MassHealth program in 20 years and includes critical reforms to promote coordinated care, hold providers accountable, and offer expanded access for substance-abuse disorder services driven by the opioid crisis. I appreciate CMS’s collaboration and the hard work of Secretary Marylou Sudders and Assistant Secretary Dan Tsai to deliver a waiver to support the people of Massachusetts.”

Added U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, “we’re excited to approve this innovative Medicaid waiver, which is another step forward in the American healthcare system’s shift toward value. This waiver will allow MassHealth to partner with provider-led care delivery organizations to deliver quality, patient-centered care to Medicaid beneficiaries.”

The waiver provides the opportunity for Massachusetts to move from its current fee-based model to a system of accountable-care organizations (ACOs) who work in close partnership with community-based organizations to better integrate care for behavioral health, long-term services and supports, and health-related social needs.

“Our restructuring will improve healthcare for 1.9 million MassHealth members and ensure a strong healthcare program now and in the future,” said Marylou Sudders, Secretary of Health and Human Services. “The waiver authorizes more than $52.4 billion to the MassHealth program over the next five years, expands substance-use benefits to address the opioid epidemic, and secures important investments for strengthening the community-based healthcare system for behavioral-health services and long-term supports.”

Without the waiver, Massachusetts would have lost $1 billion a year in federal funds starting July 1, 2017. The new waiver, which is effective July 2017, authorizes $1.8 billion over five years of new Delivery System Reform Incentive Program (DSRIP) funding to support the move to ACOs, invests in community partners for behavioral health and long-term services and supports, and allows for innovative ways of addressing the social determinants of health. It also authorizes and sustains nearly $6 billion of additional safety-net care payments over five years to hospitals and the health safety net for the uninsured and underinsured, and for subsidies to assist consumers in obtaining coverage on the Massachusetts Health Connector.

“The waiver allows us to implement a nationally leading model of accountable, coordinated care which better serves members and recognizes the importance of integrating social services and community-based expertise into delivering healthcare,” said Dan Tsai, assistant secretary for Health and Human Services, who leads the MassHealth program. “We appreciate the support and engagement from the Massachusetts healthcare community and are committed to continued stakeholder input throughout the implementation of these reforms.”

The waiver also authorizes MassHealth to launch an ACO pilot program beginning in December. The program will transition MassHealth from the current fragmented, fee-for-service care model toward accountable care and population-based payments with selected ACOs under an alternative payment methodology that includes shared savings and risk.