Iowa Medicaid Program Research Articles

Purged from the Rolls: A Study of Medicaid Disenrollment in Iowa

Purpose: To describe the impact of disenrollment from Medicaid because of failure to pay premiums as part of Iowa's Medicaid program's personal responsibility component.Methods: We conducted a mixed method study consisting of in-depth interviews with disenrolled members in 2016 and 2017 (n=72) and a survey of disenrolled members in 2017 (n=225).Results: Many disenrollees did not know why they were disenrolled, were unaware of the personal responsibility component or premium requirement, and were confused by the disenrollment process. Disenrollment had negative effects including stress, financial burden, and engaging in behaviors such as skipping medication and postponing medical or dental care. Furthermore, disenrollees were often unable to enroll in health insurance, and for those who did, many reported it was a difficult process.Conclusions: Disenrollment had numerous, negative impacts on members who failed to pay their premiums. There was confusion about program requirements, which might indicate challenges communicating about a complicated program. Policymakers need to consider how to design and implement personal responsibility programs to achieve their desired outcome and reduce confusion and negative consequences.

The Effects of Distance to Dentists and Dentist Supply on Children's Use of Dental Care.

To examine the effects of distance to dentists and dentist supply on dental services use among children with Medicaid coverage in Iowa. Iowa Medicaid claims for enrolled children between 2000 and 2009. The study sample included 41,554 children (providing 158,942 child-year observations) who were born in Iowa between 2000 and 2006 and enrolled from birth in the Iowa Medicaid program. Children were followed through 2009. We used logistic regression to simultaneously examine the effects of distance (miles to nearest dentist) and county-level dentist supply on a broad range of dental services controlling for key confounders. Additional models only used within-child variation over time to remove unobservable time-invariant confounders. Distance was related to lower utilization of comprehensive dental exams (2 percent lower odds per 1 mile increase in distance), an effect that also held in models using within-child variation only. Dentist supply was positively related to comprehensive exams and other preventive services and negatively related to major dental treatments; however, these associations became smaller and insignificant when examining within-child changes except for other preventive services. Longer distance to dentists is a barrier for use of comprehensive dental exams, conditional on dentist supply.

Iowa Wavering on Medicaid: From Expansion to Modernization.

Iowa is one of six states to expand Medicaid through section 1115 waivers. Iowa's alternative approach to Medicaid expansion, known as the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, was the result of a bipartisan compromise, motivated by the pending expiration of a preexisting section 1115 waiver that served sixty-five thousand Iowans. The Iowa Health and Wellness Plan emphasizes personal responsibility and private involvement. Key features include beneficiary premiums, incentives for healthy behaviors, and premium assistance for some beneficiaries to purchase insurance in the health insurance marketplace. However, Iowa has struggled to implement its expansion as initially envisioned, due largely to the lack of private insurers willing and able to insure new Medicaid enrollees in the marketplace. In 2016 Iowa will dramatically increase the role of managed care in Medicaid, with the vast majority of beneficiaries receiving almost all Medicaid services through a capitated managed care organization. This article highlights the local factors driving expansion, the interplay of the state and federal political landscape, the challenges of providing consumer choice within Iowa's marketplace, and the future of Iowa's Medicaid program under managed care.

Geographic accessibility and utilization of orthodontic services among Medicaid children and adolescents

To describe rates of Medicaid-funded services provided by orthodontists in Iowa to children and adolescents, identify factors associated with utilization, and describe geographic barriers to care. We analyzed enrollment and claims data from the Iowa Medicaid program for a 3-year period, January 2008 through December 2010. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed with utilization of orthodontic services as the main outcome variable. Service areas were identified by small area analysis in order to examine regional variability in utilization. The overall rate of orthodontic utilization was 3.1 percent. Medicaid enrollees living in small towns and rural areas were more likely to utilize orthodontic services than those living in urban areas. Children who had an oral evaluation by a primary care provider in the year prior to the study period were more likely to receive orthodontic services. Service areas with lower population density and greater mean travel distance to participating orthodontists had higher utilization rates than smaller, more densely populated areas. Rural residency and increased travel distances do not appear to act as barriers to orthodontic care for this population. The wide variability of utilization rates seen across service areas may be related to workforce supply in the form of orthodontists who accept Medicaid-insured patients. Referrals to orthodontists from primary care dentists may improve access to specialty care for Medicaid enrollees.

Relationship between medical well baby visits and first dental examinations for young children in Medicaid.

We examined the relationship between preventive well baby visits (WBVs) and the timing of first dental examinations for young Medicaid-enrolled children. The study focused on children born in 2000 and enrolled continuously in the Iowa Medicaid Program from birth to age 41 months (n = 6322). The main predictor variables were number and timing of WBVs. The outcome variable was timing of first dental examination. We used survival analysis to evaluate these relationships. Children with more WBVs between ages 1 and 2 years and ages 2 and 3 years were 2.96 and 1.25 times as likely, respectively, to have earlier first dental examinations as children with fewer WBVs. The number of WBVs before age 1 year and the timing of the WBVs were not significantly related to the outcome. The number of WBVs from ages 1 to 3 years was significantly related to earlier first dental examinations, whereas the number of WBVs before age 1 year and the timing of WBVs were not. Future interventions and policies should actively promote first dental examinations by age 12 months at WBVs that take place during the first year of life.

The relationship between body system-based chronic conditions and dental utilization for Medicaid-enrolled children: a retrospective cohort study

BackgroundDental care is the most common unmet health care need for children with chronic conditions. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that not all children with chronic conditions encounter difficulties accessing dental care. The goals of this study are to evaluate dental care use for Medicaid-enrolled children with chronic conditions and to identify the subgroups of children with chronic conditions that are the least likely to use dental care services.MethodsThis study focused on children with chronic conditions ages 3-14 enrolled in the Iowa Medicaid Program in 2005 and 2006. The independent variables were whether a child had each of the following 10 body system-based chronic conditions (no/yes): hematologic; cardiovascular; craniofacial; diabetes; endocrine; digestive; ear/nose/throat; respiratory; catastrophic neurological; or musculoskeletal. The primary outcome measure was use of any dental care in 2006. Secondary outcomes, also measured in 2006, were use of diagnostic dental care, preventive dental care, routine restorative dental care, and complex restorative dental care. We used Poisson regression models to estimate the relative risk (RR) associated with each of the five outcome measures across the 10 chronic conditions.ResultsAcross the 10 chronic condition subgroups, unadjusted dental utilization rates ranged from 44.3% (children with catastrophic neurological conditions) to 60.2% (children with musculoskeletal conditions). After adjusting for model covariates, children with catastrophic neurological conditions were significantly less likely to use most types of dental care (RR: 0.48 to 0.73). When there were differences, children with endocrine or craniofacial conditions were less likely to use dental care whereas children with hematologic or digestive conditions were more likely to use dental care. Children with respiratory, musculoskeletal, or ear/nose/throat conditions were more likely to use most types of dental care compared to other children with chronic conditions but without these specific conditions (RR: 1.03 to 1.13; 1.0 to 1.08; 1.02 to 1.12; respectively). There was no difference in use across all types of dental care for children with diabetes or cardiovascular conditions compared to other children with chronic conditions who did not have these particular conditions.ConclusionsDental utilization is not homogeneous across chronic condition subgroups. Nearly 42% of children in our study did not use any dental care in 2006. These findings support the development of multilevel clinical interventions that target subgroups of Medicaid-enrolled children with chronic conditions that are most likely to have problems accessing dental care.

Timing of first dental visits for newly Medicaid-enrolled children with an intellectual or developmental disability in Iowa, 2005-2007.

We evaluated the relationship between having an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD) and the timing of the first dental visit for children who were newly enrolled in Medicaid in Iowa. We identified children aged 3 to 8 years with and without IDD who were newly enrolled in the Iowa Medicaid program in 2005 (N = 5391). We gathered data on presence of IDD, health status, age at baseline, gender, length of Medicaid enrollment, medical care visits, household Medicaid enrollment, urbanization, residence in a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), and time of first dental visit through 2007. About 32% of children had a first dental visit within 6 months of enrollment; this proportion increased to 49%, 64%, and 74% by years 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In the unadjusted models, there was no significant difference between children with and without IDD in time to first dental visit (P = .22). After adjusting for model covariates, however, children with IDD were 31% more likely to have a delayed first dental visit (P = .04). Newly Medicaid-enrolled children aged 3 to 8 years with IDD in Iowa were significantly more likely to have a later first dental visit. Future interventions should focus on ensuring timely access to first dental visits for all Medicaid-enrolled children, with an emphasis on those with IDD.

A comparison of dental services received by Medicaid and privately insured adult populations

Few studies have compared differences in dental care utilization rates between a publicly and a privately insured adult population in the same geographic area. The authors conducted this study to compare the demographic characteristics and use of dental services for enrollees in the Iowa Medicaid program and in the Delta Dental Plan of Iowa. The focus was on the overall use of dental services, with an emphasis on the use of tertiary care services such as endodontic therapy and tooth extraction services. The authors used insurance claims data for adults aged 21 to 64 years who were enrolled in Delta Dental of Iowa and the Iowa Medicaid program for fiscal year 1998. They calculated utilization of dental services rates by type of dental procedure. In fiscal year 1998, 69.3 percent of Delta Dental enrollees and 27.2 percent of Medicaid enrollees had a dental visit. More than 90 percent of those in both populations with a dental visit had used preventive dental services during the year. Medicaid users were nearly twice as likely as Delta Dental enrollees to receive endodontic therapy (9.9 percent versus 5.0 percent, respectively) and nearly four times as likely to have had a tooth extracted (27.4 percent versus 7.1 percent, respectively). Privately insured enrollees were more likely to use dental services that were Medicaid enrollees. The greater use of tertiary care services by the Medicaid population than by the privately insured population is indicative of a lower oral health status for this group at the time they sought care, even though it was a much younger group of adults. The oral health status of low-income adults enrolled in Medicaid could benefit greatly from higher use of routine preventive dental services and earlier treatment of oral diseases to prevent the substantial need for preventable tertiary care services.

Evaluation of the Iowa MedicaidPharmaceutical CaseManagement Program

To test the effect of pharmaceutical case management (PCM) on medication safety and health care utilization. Prospective cohort design with 9-month follow-up period (enrollment from October 1, 2000, through July 1, 2001, with follow-up through July 1, 2002). Iowa Medicaid program. 2,211 noninstitutionalized, continuously eligible Iowa Medicaid patients taking four or more chronic medications including at least one agent commonly used in at least 1 of 12 specific diseases who were cared for by pharmacists in 117 pharmacies. Reimbursement for PCM services (initial patient assessment, written recommendations to physician, follow-up assessments and communication of progress and new problems to physician). Use of high-risk medications, Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI) score, health care utilization. Pharmacists in 114 pharmacies had eligible patients during at least one quarter during the study period; 28 pharmacies were classified as high intensity based on the number of PCM patients they managed. A total of 524 of the eligible patients received 1,599 PCM services; 90% of claims were filed by pharmacists, and the remainder by physicians. Nearly one half (46.1%) of medications and 92.1% of patients had at least one medication problem before PCM. By closeout, the percentage of medications with problems decreased in 8 of 10 MAI domains for those who received PCM. Compared with baseline, mean MAI score improved significantly from 9.4 to 8.3 among PCM recipients (P < .001). Percentage of PCM recipients using high-risk medications decreased significantly compared with PCM eligibles who did not receive the service. In the 28 pharmacies that adopted the new service most intensely, patients had a significant decrease in high-risk medication use, compared with patients of low-intensity pharmacies (P < .001). No difference was observed between PCM recipients and PCM eligibles who did not receive PCM in health care utilization or charges, even after including reimbursements for PCM. Medication safety problems were prevalent in this high-risk population. The PCM program improved medication safety during a 9-month follow-up period.

Medicaid Costs Associated with the Hospitalization of Young Children for Restorative Dental Treatment Under General Anesthesia

This paper examines the cost to the Iowa Medicaid program of hospitalizing young children for restorative dental care under general anesthesia, and describes the dental services received in this setting. Medicaid dental claims for young children receiving restorative dental care under general anesthesia during fiscal year 1994 were matched with corresponding hospital and anesthesia claims. The total cost to the Medicaid program of treating a child in the hospital under general anesthesia was $2,009 per case. Less than 2 percent of Medicaid-enrolled children under 6 years of age who received any dental service accounted for 25 percent of all dollars spent on dental services for this age group, including hospital and anesthesia care. The most frequent type of procedure was stainless steel crowns (SSCs), with an average of almost six per case. Early identification, prevention, and intervention are critically important to prevent the costly treatment of children with ECC in hospital operating rooms.

Evaluating the Operational Performance and Financial Effects of a Drug Prior Authorization Program

OBJECTIVE: To present a managerial approach for evaluating the performance of a drug prior authorization (PA) program, illustrated through an evaluation of the Iowa Medicaid drug PA program. DESIGN: A before-and-after comparison without a control group. SETTING: State of Iowa Medicaid Program. PATIENTS: Iowa Medicaid enrollees (approximately 250,000). INTERVENTION: Medicaid Drug Prior Authorization (PA) Program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Operational and economic performance, including volume of prior authorization requests, PA program response times, PA approval rates by therapeutic category, medication utilization, and PA program savings and administrative costs. RESULTS: Overall, 82.9% of new and extension PA requests were approved for coverage. Of the new PA requests, 74.4% were approved for coverage, while 92.5% of PA extensions were approved. The average response time for new requests and extensions was 52.4 (s.d.=1 01.8) minutes. New PA responses averaged 73.2 (s.d.=119.6) minutes, while extensions averaged 28 (s.d.=7.5) minutes. The total net savings for antiarthritics, benzodiazepines, antiulcer, and antihistamines was $2.51 million to $3.83 million. CONCLUSION: The results are unique in providing both operational and economic performance of a drug PA program. The results show response times well below the HCFA mandated guidelines with relatively high approval rates. The economic results also suggest a large savings due to drug prior authorization. The evaluation procedures provide a workable method for program administrators to evaluate their own programs. In addition, the results provide a comparison for program administrators to judge performance.

Developing an outpatient prospective payment system based on APGs for the Iowa Medicaid program.

This article describes the development of an outpatient prospective payment system (PPS) based on ambulatory patient groups (APGs) for the Iowa Medicaid Program. Currently, hospitals in Iowa are reimbursed for outpatient services on the basis of cost. Because of concern about escalating costs, the Iowa General Assembly mandated development of a hospital outpatient payment system to promote efficient use of resources and high quality care. The first use of APGs for payment across the full spectrum of services will be a testing ground that should have long term implications for outpatient prospective payment and quality improvement efforts.