The Medicaid Policy and Business team and Long-Term Services & Supports team at the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) are active in policy and economic analysis of programs that serve older adults and people with disabilities in the state. The teams use quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of long-term services and supports-related programs in terms of outcomes, finances, and policies. Some recent projects include these:

• Money Follows the Person — Money Follows the Person (MFP) is a Medicaid demonstration program to help transition individuals living in institutions to community settings for care. From 2009 to 2014, approximately $6.9 million MFP supplemental grant funds were disbursed for care to support participant transitions. GHPC analyzes use of the demonstration funds pre- and post-transition. Analysis included overall program spending on services, spending by service, and quality of life assessments of consumers and their families to measure transition success.
• Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) State Transition Plan — GHPC assisted the Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH) with completion of their federally mandated state HCBS transition plan. As part of this work, GHPC reviewed Georgia’s HCBS regulations and policies in light of the new federal rules and proposed needed changes and clarifications. The center also analyzed the results of surveys of HCBS providers, case managers, and patients to assess their level of current compliance with the new federal rules.
• Georgia Medicaid for Workers with Disabilities (GMWD) Buy-In — GHPC analyzed the potential number of new Medicaid recipients, the number of individuals that would potentially enroll in GMWD, the number of people that would go to work, the budgetary impact to DCH, and the macroeconomic impact to the state, should income limits for the program be revised.

Long-Term Services & Support

Policy & Economic Analysis