Implementing the Behavioral Health Carve-out Statewide Managed Care Options Paper

Behavioral Health
In July 2005 DPW announced plans to expand HealthChoices in four northeast counties, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Susquehanna, and Wyoming. These combined counties serve approximately 79,000 covered Medicaid recipients. Implementation is scheduled for July 1, 2006. The County Commissioners in all four counties have accepted the right of first opportunity to manage program and have selected their BH-MCO vendor. 

Behavioral Health Expansion
After the decision was made to delay further implementation of the HealthChoices program OMHSAS remained in dialogue with Counties and stakeholders regarding their continued interest in moving forward with statewide managed care. In 2004 the OMHSAS Statewide Advisory Committee endorsed the goal of moving forward with statewide managed care as being one of five goals OMHSAS should prioritize. OMHSAS convened MH/MR Administrators and Drug and Alcohol Administrators to discuss possible options for accomplishing this priority in the context of the current economic environment. There remains widespread local support for the behavioral health managed care carve-out. Counties have expressed their interest in working closely with OMHSAS to develop options that will allow the HealthChoices program to expand statewide. 

Selected counties that have issued a request for proposals for a HealthChoices vendor will be given the opportunity to move forward with the proposal developed. The counties will be given the opportunity to move forward with the BH-MCO selected before the delay announcement, to re-procure a BH-MCO in accordance with local county procurement requirements, or to modify their proposal. 

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