As the political debate over repealing and replacing “Obamacare” persists, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) itself set off a number of important changes across multiple agencies and industries – changes that seven years on, continue to shift and reshape.
Last month, CAPsules addressed alternatives to current methods for federal funding of Medicaid and examined “block grants” -- a method by which a total fixed dollar amount is given to every state to run the program. Another path being considered is the “per capita allotment” model, consisting of a per-patient-per-month capped amount.
In the ongoing “repeal and replace” discussion surrounding the Affordable Care Act, a constant focus is the topic of block grants to pay for Medicaid (known in California as Medi-Cal). One of the proposals being considered is a renewed use of block grants.