Consumer Empowerment Closes Medicaid Member Care Gaps

We’re thrilled to share that Maria Perrin’s compelling consumer-directed care article is now live in MedCity News! She sheds light on critical issues such as cultural and geographic inequities, high hospital readmissions, and staffing shortages among home care workers. Maria also offers valuable insights into how consumer-direction is playing a key role in addressing care gaps for Medicaid-eligible recipients. Don’t miss out on this important read!

While enrollment in consumer direction programs has grown, more must be done to educate, amplify, and spread awareness to ensure that all eligible individuals learn about the benefits of this alternative to traditionally delivered agency and institutional care.

I’m often surprised by the lack of awareness of consumer-directed care, also known as self-direction. It’s not new. In the 1990s, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded grants to develop ‘self-determination’ programs in 19 states. These successful projects evolved further into Medicaid demonstration programs, and then in 2005, the Deficit Reduction Act authorized two more avenues for states to offer a consumer-directed option. Since then, consumer-directed care has steadily grown, with more than 1.5 million people having self-directed their long-term services and supports (LTSS) within the past two years – an 18% increase in enrollment since 2019.

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