Medicaid Managed Care in Rural Areas: The Minnesota County-Based Purchasing Program
The State of Minnesota is implementing a major revision in its Medicaid program that provides the option for counties to assume responsibility for directly purchasing medical care for Medicaid beneficiaries in their jurisdictions, under capitated funding provided by the State. This option has been supported by many rural counties because it provides the opportunity for greater local control and improved coordination of service delivery. The objectives of this study are 1) to describe the initial response of rural counties to the new county-based purchasing option and 2) to explore the possibility of conducting cross county and/or before and after evaluations of the use of services by rural Medicaid beneficiaries.
Publications
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Rural Government Role in Medicaid Managed Care: The Development of County-Based Purchasing in Minnesota
Author(s): Astrid Knott, Jon B. Christianson
Report Number: Working Paper No. 35
Date: 01 / 2001
Describes the development and implementation in Minnesota of a model for rural county government participation in Medicaid managed care initiatives. The model-called County-Based Purchasing-allows county governments the option of functioning as direct purchasers of health care for the Medicaid beneficiaries in their area, accepting financial risk for service delivery. Concludes that if the model is to be used nationally, several issues must be addressed including, the federal approval process for similar initiatives, the relationship between state and county agencies, and sources of funding.
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