Under the Same Sky featuring Jacey Cooper
Jacey Cooper, President, Precision Health Strategies, will discuss lessons learned from her experiences with Medicaid and CHIP demonstrations.
Helping Medicaid Beneficiaries retain coverage
Jacey Cooper, a seasoned healthcare policy and operations leader with more than two decades of federal, state, and delivery system experience, recently joined Abner for a forward-looking conversation as part of his ongoing series focused on Medicaid work requirements. Drawing from her extensive background in transformational initiatives, Cooper outlined three critical strategies for states navigating this evolving landscape.
Key takeaways include:
1. Mapping and Maintaining Real-Time Access to Data
Cooper emphasized the importance of robust data mapping to identify eligible Medicaid beneficiaries and track exemptions. States should leverage tools like KFF’s state-specific data and adopt AI to gather real-time data to improve accuracy. Georgia’s efforts to refine data sources and distinguish exempt individuals offer a promising model. Identifying “forever exemptions” and testing incoming data files are also key to streamlining coverage decisions.
2. Case Management is Critical to Connecting People to Resources
Case management must be central to Medicaid work requirements. Cooper urges CMS to clarify what states can do under existing definitions, including assessments that capture whether individuals are working, studying, or volunteering. These assessments should inform care plans that link people to employment, education, and community service opportunities. Drawing from lessons learned from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program(SNAP), Cooper highlighted case management as the cornerstone of helping beneficiaries meet work requirements and maintain coverage.
3. Leverage State Resources that Already Exist
States should better integrate existing employment and training programs. Cooper advocates for “no wrong door” approaches and co-enrollment systems that simplify access to services. By connecting people to tools that help them find work, training, or other related assistance, states can more easily help people meet federal mandates.
Outreach, Communication and Innovation
Effective communication is essential. Cooper pointed to successful COVID-era strategies including multilingual campaigns to reach as many people as possible, data dashboards to continuously track progress and adjust communications strategies as necessary, and partnerships with health plans, providers, and community organizations, as models for effectively educating people about work requirements. She also encouraged health plans to collaborate with tech innovators to offer scalable, user-friendly solutions to Medicaid beneficiaries that can them retain their coverage.
Join us for the next conversation in the series on Tuesday, October 28, at 2:30pm (ET) with special guest Karen Shields, CEO, KMS Health Consulting. Karen will discuss lessons learned from experiences in her previous role as deputy director of CMS’ Center for Medicaid and CHIP services.
