NGA Releases Medicaid Toolkit at Press Event in Washington, D.C.

Today at an event at the National Press Club, experts from the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) Health Division discussed a new guide, The Future of Medicaid Transformation: A Practical Guide for States.

NGA gathered health policy experts to discuss the guide, which provides states with strategies on how to design statewide Medicaid transformation proposals that the federal government is likely to approve. At the 2014 NGA Winter Meeting, governors charged NGA with building a project that provides direct support to governors on how to approach the federal government to negotiate new Medicaid authorities and receive funding support for transformation. The guide is the end product of an 18-month NGA policy academy, in which three states participated: AlabamaNevada and Washington.

Governors are developing powerful innovations around the country to transform state health care systems. At the center of these transformational efforts are the very complex negotiations among leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the White House and states. At the event, NGA Center Health Division Director Frederick Isasi and Program Director Hemi Tewarson described the necessary steps for states to prepare for and reach agreement with the federal government on proposals to reform Medicaid programs.

To watch the full event, please visit NGA’s Facebook page.