Incorporating the Patient into New York State’s Medicaid Redesign

New York’s Medicaid Redesign Team (MRT) pursued dramatic changes to Medicaid as a way to better manage care, mitigate costs, and improve health outcomes for New York’s Medicaid recipients.

Many of the Medicaid changes sought to create incentives for health care providers through capitated payments, care management fees, the establishment of health homes, and potential investments in more supportive housing. However, the changes may not adequately create incentives for patients to alter their behaviors and use of services. Patient education, incentives targeted directly to beneficiaries, and some level of personal investment could potentially increase the impact of the policy changes. Combining patient-level and provider-level activities could create more meaningful change. In 2012, NYHealth awarded Manhattan Institute for Policy Research (Manhattan Institute) a grant to identify patient-level incentives that could be incorporated into MRT’s recommendations to better promote health and decrease costs.