DOH Releases Medicaid Global Spending Cap Report

The Department of Health (DOH) has just released the Medicaid Global Spending Cap Report for April 2015, which details the annual limitation on state spending for the Medicaid program for State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2015-16 and reports on April 2015 spending versus projections.  Highlighted in the report are the following:

• the Medicaid Global Spending Cap has increased from $17.0 billion in SFY 2014-15 to $17.7 billion (including the Basic Health Program) in SFY 2015-16, an increase of 4.6 percent;
• during the first four years of the Global Spending Cap, Medicaid spending has remained within the Cap while expanding health coverage to the State’s neediest populations;
• payments to managed care plans comprise nearly 50 percent of total Medicaid spending subject to the Cap;
• the Accounts Receivable ending balance for SFY 2014-15 was $280 million; the State expects to recoup $170 million of this amount by March 2016. This represents the amount owed by providers to the State for various overpayments and unpaid assessment taxes;
• total Medicaid enrollment is up to nearly 6.2 million New Yorkers, with 4.7 million (75 percent) enrolled in Medicaid managed care; and
• an estimated 6,600 Medicaid nursing home beneficiaries are expected to transition to Medicaid managed care in SFY 2015-16.

Through the first month of SFY 2015-16, state Medicaid spending was $23 million, or 1.4 percent, under projections.      

Contact: Dan Heim, dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866