[1] As of 2014, 26 states have contracts with MCOs to deliver long-term care for the elderly and individuals with disabilities.
States used health plans as a platform for expansions and reforms because of their track record of controlling costs in public coverage programs while improving the quality of and access to care.
Of those, 147 were Medicaid-focused health plans that specialize in serving the unique needs of Medicaid and other public program beneficiaries.
All states except Alaska, and Wyoming have all, or a portion of, their Medicaid population enrolled in an MCO.
If states provide a choice of at least two plans, they can mandate enrollment in managed care.