Headline

Report shares Medicaid member engagement framework and principles to guide state policymakers.

Context

States are increasingly engaging with Medicaid members to understand opportunities to improve Medicaid program outcomes and health equity. States are also required by the federal government to host advisory councils that consist of their Medicaid members. This report provides a framework and guiding principles for promising Medicaid member engagement strategies, based on a nationwide landscape scan and literature review. The report is also informed by interviews with officials from Massachusetts’ Medicaid program, MassHealth, to provide targeted recommendations for improving the state’s ongoing member engagement efforts.

Findings

The report presents:

1. A framework for Medicaid member engagement that runs along a continuum — from providing Medicaid members with information to giving Medicaid members the ability to co-design Medicaid program, policy, and procedures;
2. How MassHealth currently engages members, such as through requests for information, surveys, and listening sessions;
3. Guiding principles for any state to apply to their engagement practices;
4. Recommendations for MassHealth to improve its Medicaid member engagement work.

Takeaways

State policymakers seeking to improve health equity in their states and deepen Medicaid member engagement can consider the framework and principles presented in this report. The information on how MassHealth engages with its members and recommendations for improved engagement also serve as a case study for other state considering how to enhance member engagement.