Florida's Medicaid AIDS Waiver: An Assessment of Dimensions of Quality

Some State Medicaid agencies have implemented home and community-based waiver programs targeting acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients. Under these initiatives, State Medicaid agencies can provide home and community-based services to persons with AIDS (PWA) as an alternative to more costly Medicaid-covered institutional care. This article evaluates quality of care under the Florida Medicaid waiver for PWA along two dimensions: program effectiveness and client satisfaction. Clients are generally satisfied with their case managers and the range and availability of services. Case managers appear to be well trained. Moreover, the probability of turnover is quite low, despite heavy caseloads and high mortality. The major difficulty faced by clients and case managers relates to the process of becoming Medicaid eligible.