The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) released its June 2023 Report to Congress on Medicaid and CHIP. This report contained four chapters covering recommendations for payment polices related to safety-net hospitals, integrating care for people who are dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare, improving access to Medicaid coverage for adults leaving incarceration, and identifying barriers to Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS). Annually, the commission releases statutorily required reports in March and June that include recommendations for updates to the Medicaid and CHIP programs.
MACPAC recommended four actions in Chapter 1 related to automatic adjustments to disproportionate share hospital payments when there is a change to the federal medical assistance percentage. Chapter 2 provided additional information on developing an integrated care strategy for dual-eligible beneficiaries as a continuation of the commission’s work outlined in their June 2022 report. In Chapter 3, the commission outlined states’ efforts to provide Medicaid coverage and access to care for adults leaving incarceration and provided considerations around pre-release Medicaid services and federal activities to support state efforts. MACPAC outlined in Chapter 4 key findings and next steps from their research on access to HCBS, specifically focusing on barriers for beneficiaries and challenges states face to administer these programs.