NGA Helps Alabama Secure Medicaid Waiver Approval

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has announced the Alabama Medicaid Agency’s regional care organization plan, which provides medical care to most Alabamians on Medicaid, has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Reforming Medicaid by increasing efficiency and improving patient care has been a long-term goal for Governor Bentley.

In September 2014, NGA selected Alabama to participate in a project to design and achieve statewide health care transformation. Alabama was selected because it proposed a cutting-edge approach to realigning economic incentives and improving the quality and efficiency of health care. Through the project, the NGA Center for Best Practices worked closely with Gov. Bentley and his leadership team to help get the state’s Medicaid proposal approved.

“This waiver is a shining example of how states innovate each and every day to improve the lives of their citizens,” NGA Executive Director and CEO Scott Pattison said. “Many other states can now use Alabama’s cutting-edge approach to figure out what works—and what doesn’t—as they look to improve their own health care delivery.”

To view the press release, click here.