“Second-Generation” Medicaid Managed Care: Can It Deliver?

This article offers insight into what we term “second-generation” Medicaid managed care. In case studies of seven States, we examined three critical questions: (1) Does managed care experience facilitate program operations? (2) Can Medicaid managed care deliver on important goals? and (3) Can States extend the program beyond low-income families and children to others? The answers are encouraging but also suggest caution. Medicaid managed care is not a solution to fundamental problems facing the Medicaid program. It may be a tool to encourage better delivery of care. This requires a long-term commitment and adequate financing to develop stable partnerships with all stakeholders.