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Statement on the Medicaid and CHIP Quality Improvement Act of 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 9, 2017
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515
STATEMENT OF ACAP CEO MARGARET A. MURRAY
ON THE MEDICAID AND CHIP QUALITY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2017
WASHINGTON—Margaret A. Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), issued the following statement on The Medicaid and CHIP Quality Improvement Act of 2017, introduced today in the House of Representatives as H.R. 2843 by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado) and Joe Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) and in the Senate as S. 1317 by Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio):
“We applaud the leadership of Representatives DeGette and Kennedy and Senator Brown in introducing this bill in their respective Houses of Congress.
“The picture on quality is astonishingly unclear in Medicaid and CHIP, despite the fact that more than 80 million people rely on health coverage through one of the two programs. While Medicaid managed care has long had systematic quality reporting requirements in place, that hasn’t been the case with fee-for-service or primary care case management systems.
“This bill would also reward quality improvement among states by providing bonuses to high-performing states as well as states that demonstrate the greatest improvement, putting Medicaid quality at the center of states’ agendas for managing their Medicaid programs.
“Federal and state taxpayers invest billions upon billions of dollars in Medicaid to provide health coverage to people who need it. It’s critical that taxpayers and policymakers understand the quality – ultimately expressed through the better health and quality of life for the people who benefit from the program – in return. Medicaid is a worthy investment, and the program should show exactly that.
“ACAP and its member Safety Net Health Plans are grateful for the work of Representatives DeGette and Kennedy and Senator Brown–and urge their colleagues in the House and Senate to cosponsor this important bill.”
About ACAP
ACAP represents 60 not-for-profit Safety Net Health Plans in 29 states, which collectively serve more than twenty million people enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, Marketplaces, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
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