Section 4108 of the Affordable Care Act authorized grants to States to provide incentives to Medicaid beneficiaries of all ages who participated in prevention programs and demonstrated changes in health risk and outcomes, including the adoption of healthy behaviors.
The initiatives or programs were to be “comprehensive, evidence-based, widely available, and easily accessible.” The programs must have used relevant evidence-based research and resources. An application by a State for a grant under the program must have addressed one or more of the following prevention goals: tobacco cessation, controlling or reducing weight, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and avoiding the onset of diabetes or in the case of a diabetic, improving the management of the condition.
The Participating States
There were 10 states participating in the Medicaid Incentives for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases Model.
Background
Interventions that address the behavioral or social circumstances that influence participation in preventive health services and/or otherwise have a positive impact on outcomes of preventive health services may contribute to improving health and decreasing growth in health care expenditures.
Improving participation in preventive activities will require finding methods to encourage Medicaid consumers to engage in and remain in such efforts. A significant review of the effects of economic incentives on consumers’ preventive health behaviors, primarily in commercial insurance program was published in 2004 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. A systematic literature review identified 111 randomized controlled trials, of which 47 (published between 1966 and 2002) were reviewed. These studies showed that financial incentives worked about 73 percent of the time. Incentives that increased the ability to purchase a preventive service worked better than more diffuse incentives, but the type matters less than the nature of the incentive. Economic incentives were assessed to be effective in the short run for simple preventive care and distinct, well-defined behavioral goals.
Read more background related to this effort.
Initiative Details
These initiatives or programs were "comprehensive, evidence-based, widely available, and easily accessible." The programs must have used relevant evidence-based research and resources, including: the Guide to Community Preventive Services; and the Guide to Clinical Preventive Services.
An application by a State for a grant under the program must have addressed at least one of the following prevention goals: tobacco cessation, controlling or reducing weight, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, and avoiding the onset of diabetes or improving the management of the condition.
Participating States must have committed to operating their program for at least 3 years, conducting a State-level evaluation, and fulfilling reporting requirements specified by the legislation and CMS, including information technology system modification necessary to support the evaluation and reporting requirements. Approved administrative and program expenditures were reimbursed through grant funds from the $100 million dollars appropriated for this program and evaluation. There was no State cost sharing requirement in this program.
Evaluations
Latest Evaluation Report
Additional Information
- MIPCD Fact Sheet
- MIPCD Funding Opportunity Announcement (PDF)
- CME Medicaid Incentives (Section 4108) Guidance (PDF)
- MIPCD First Report to Congress (PDF)
- MIPCD Second Report to Congress (PDF) | Independent Assessment Report & Appendices (PDF)