The Trump administration released a new scorecard to show the quality of state programs for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the first scorecard for CHIP and Medicaid on Monday. The goal is to provide greater transparency on how state programs that manage Medicaid and CHIP are faring in terms of quality.
“The data offered within the scorecard begins to offer taxpayers insights into how their dollars are being spent and the impact those dollars have on health outcomes,” CMS said.
The scorecard is based on a series of measures that states voluntarily report to the agency.
“The metrics included in the first scorecard reflect important health issues such as well child visits, mental health conditions, children’s preventive dental services, and other chronic health conditions,” CMS added.
For instance, one of the measures is how a state follows up after hospitalization for a mental illness. The measure itself isn’t new, but it is the first time it is in a publicly available scorecard.
CMS Administrator Seema Verma said the scorecard is part of an overall effort to boost transparency.
“The public should understand how and why costs vary from state to state,” she said.
CMS has sought to expand state waivers under the Trump administration for Medicaid, including a controversial decision to allow states to install work requirements for certain Medicaid beneficiaries.
The agency has approved a handful of waivers for state Medicaid work requirements, and Verma told reporters that another eight states have sought waivers for the work requirements.
