In Crain’s New York Business, Brett Friedman Examines What Success Looks Like for New York’s $7.5 Billon Medicaid 1115 Demonstration Waiver Program

New York State is launching a $7.5 billion pilot demonstration over the next three years that expands non-medical Medicaid-funded services across the state to respond to the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers.

This new program is a product of a federally approved Medicaid 1115 Demonstration Waiver that allows not-for-profit Community-Based Organizations to extend vital health-related social needs services such as food, transportation, and housing assistance to New Yorkers who are most in need, and receive reimbursement for these services. The initiative seeks to expand access to primary and behavior health, address health-related social needs to reduce disparities and promote health equality, and strengthen the health care workforce.

In a Crain’s New York Business op-ed article, health care partner Brett Friedman and Meredith Little, Medicaid Strategic Director for the East Region at healthcare non-profit Unite Us, examine what success will look like for the Medicaid pilot program. The authors explain that in New York, success might be measured using metrics such as rate of screening for unmet social needs, emergency department utilization in in-patient admissions, and impact on total cost of care for Medicaid beneficiaries.

With nine Social Care Networks being established across the state, these coordinated care networks can begin serving New Yorkers on an expanded scale. The authors note that supported by a robust technology infrastructure that leverages data for meaningful outcomes, this new integrated system of care offers the chance to measure true impact. This evidence-based approach holds the promise to transform Medicaid nationwide and enhance the health of the entire population.