Health Reform, Year Seven: Observations About Medicaid Managed Care

Over the last 7 years, State and Federal policymakers have reformed State medical assistance programs and, in the process, have grappled with goals of both containing program costs and expanding health insurance coverage to the uninsured. Currently, nearly one-quarter of all States have implemented health care reform demonstrations, and this article summarizes trends seen since health care reform began in the 1990s. As well as noting the accomplishments of health care reform through the use of Medicaid managed care, the article speculates, based on recent evidence, about new directions health care reform may take in the future.