June 30, 2009

Reassessing the Impact of Managed Care in the Developmental Disabilities Sector

Robert M. Gettings of the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services, wrote this Policy Insight, Volume 1, Issue 1. This this brief, it states that in the mid-1990s, many observers were predicting that managed health care principles would be widely applied to the delivery of publicly funded services for individuals with developmental disabilities. For a variety of reasons, managed care fizzled in the developmental disabilities sector while thriving in the acute and behavioral health sectors. In recent years, however, a number of states have been granted authority by the federal government to convert Medicaid funded long-term services to a managed care format. Most such plans are targeted to low-income frail elders and adults with physical disabilities, but a few also encompass specialized services to persons with developmental disabilities.