MassHealth Matters II: Long-Term Services & Supports (LTSS): Opportunities for MassHealth

Last fall, the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI), a program of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, released a report identifying reform of long-term services and supports (LTSS) as one of five priority issue areas with regard to MassHealth for the new administration.

As the primary payer of LTSS in Massachusetts – accounting for nearly half of all LTSS spending – MassHealth could see its LTSS costs more than double by 2030. Facing a growing elder population and people with disabilities living longer, Massachusetts has the opportunity to improve its LTSS services to better meet the needs of people with disabilities and do so in a more cost effective manner.

This event featured an examination of the current state of LTSS in Massachusetts by Carol Raphael of Manatt Health Solutions who is one of the foremost national experts in LTSS, was President Obama’s appointee to the federal Commission on Long-Term Care and serves as chair of the AARP board and chair of the Long-Term Quality Alliance. The event also included a discussion of innovative models and strategies in use by Medicaid programs in Minnesota and Washington states, as well as a presentation by the National Association of Medicaid Directors. The event also featured a panel of people who are currently on the frontlines of the Massachusetts system.