|
|  |
|
| As of Jan. 1, all seniors enrolled in Medical Assistance managed care receive their health care through Minnesota SeniorCare Plus (MSC+) health plans. MSC+ includes all Medicaid benefits, as well as Elderly Waiver services and coverage of 180 days of nursing home care. More information about Minnesota SeniorCare Plus is online. |
| Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced that Minnesota has successfully obtained a federal waiver for MinnesotaCare, avoiding eligibility cuts for 18,000 parents and securing more than $100 million a year through June 2011 in federal funding. This means parents with incomes between 100 percent and 200 percent of poverty will continue to be eligible for federal matching funds. The waiver also secures federal matching funds for nursing home pay increases for five years and medical education funding. More information is in a news release about the waiver. |
| A recent report reveals that overall the quality of health care provided to Minnesota Health Care Programs enrollees lags behind that provided to patients with private insurance. Yet some medical groups achieved comparable rates on optimal diabetes care for both public and privately insured patients. The report by MN Community Measurement is the nation’s first large-scale comparison by medical group of care for publicly insured and those with other types of insurance. |
| A list of medical, dental and mental health providers who serve the uninsured has been updated and is available online. It can be helpful to uninsured Minnesotans who are not eligible for Minnesota Health Care Programs, as well as applicants who have immediate health care needs. The list includes providers throughout the state. |
| A newly launched Web site — www.health.state.mn.us/healthreform — provides information on Minnesota's 2008 health care reform initiative. The site, created by the Minnesota Department of Health, has background on key components of the reform package signed into law by Gov. Tim Pawlenty in May. They include a Statewide Health Improvement Program, health care homes, payment reform and quality improvement, e-health measures and provisions to increase access to health care insurance and affordability. More information is in a health reform fact sheet and an implementation timeline prepared by the Minnesota House of Representatives Research Department. |
| Contact DHS Communications if you would like to be added to a monthly e-mail notification list for department news and Web site updates. |
| | |
|
