title: The impact of alternative hospital payment systems on Medicaid costs.
abstract: From 1982 onward, 25 states adopted three broad strategies to control their Medicaid hospital costs: multiple-payer rate setting, Medicaid-only prospective payment, and selective contracting. In this analysis of the three approaches, I found that the multiple-payer systems were particularly effective at controlling Medicaid payments because of their ability to control statewide hospital costs. The Medicaid-only prospective payment systems were also successful, but appear to be effective only in the short term. California's Medicaid-only selective contracting program was also successful, largely because of the simultaneous implementation of cost-control incentives for all hospitals in the state. I also found sharp reductions in Medicaid admissions where rates were set low relative to costs, as well as a shift in Medicaid admissions to public hospitals in Medicaid-only prospective payment states.
authors.affiliation: Health Policy Center, Urban Institute, Washington, DC 20037.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Holahan
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D003284:Contract Services / Q000191:economics; D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008396:Maryland; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics*; D009515:New Jersey; D009518:New York; D011445:Prospective Payment System; D011907:Rate Setting and Review; D014481:United States