This Brief was prepared by Erika Ziller and Trish Riley of the Muskie School of Public Service to inform an April 8, 2013 colloquium convened to explore options and implications of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for Maine.

Highlights: In addition to increased Medicaid funding, in January 2014, the ACA will provide federally subsidized health care coverage for individuals with incomes up to 400% for Medicaid in a state, coverage will be subsidized by federally funded tax credits through health insurance exchanges, now known as the “Marketplace.” Those under 100% FPL are not eligible for Marketplace subsidies but could be eligible for Medicaid, depending upon state decisions.

Even if Maine does not choose to cover all those newly eligible under the ACA, beginning in 2014, MaineCare must extend eligibility for children aging out of foster care until they are 26, regardless of income. An estimated 46,000 uninsured individuals, nearly all of whom will be adults without children, would be newly eligible for Medicaid should Maine decide to participate in the ACA optional Medicaid coverage.

If Maine chooses not to participate in the ACA optional Medicaid program, the 14,000 uninsured childless adults with incomes between 100% and 138% FPL referenced above would be eligible to participate in subsidized coverage through the federal Marketplace, although there is disagreement over the affordability of these plans for this group. The 32,000 uninsured childless adults with incomes below 100% FPL would be ineligible for any subsidy through the Marketplace.

Continued coverage for currently eligible populations in Maine is uncertain. Maine must comply with a significant number of ACA provisions related MaineCare. These new requirements must be in place in all states, whether or not states extend eligibility in the Medicaid program or operate a health insurance Marketplace.

The purpose of this Maine Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) Pilot is to improve quality of care, efficiency, and patient/family satisfaction provided by primary care practices. Its premise is that the resources provided to practices through the Pilot (including enhanced payments, training, consultation, and learning collaborative) will help them transform themselves and reach a higher level of functionality as medical homes, which in turn will lead to improvements in quality of care, efficiency, and patient/family satisfaction. The three-year Pilot was convened by MaineCare, the Maine Quality Forum, and Quality Counts. The participating payers are MaineCare (Maine Medicaid), Aetna, Anthem, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Three aspects of the Pilot are being evaluated by the Muskie School of Public Service: 1) patient’s experiences; 2) the implementation process and interim results during Year 1; and 3) changes in the quality and efficiency of primary care. This report focuses on findings from the implementation evaluation. The objectives of the implementation evaluation are to
• Profile the characteristics of the Pilot practices
• Describe the practices’ objectives and strategies for implementing the Pilot
• Describe the implementation process during Year 1
• Provide practical guidance to the practices, the Pilot conveners, and MaineCare
• Develop profiles of the Pilot practices for use in the quality and efficiency evaluation
• Make recommendations for use by evaluators of other PCMH pilots

The authors studied the early impact of Part D on older or disabled Medicaid beneficiaries who had prescription drug coverage prior to Part D through MaineCare ("dual eligibles") or the DEL benefit; local and statewide organizations that work with and advocate for Medicare beneficiaries, which often stepped forward to help make Part D work for the beneficiaries; and Medicare beneficiaries who were not duals or DEL enrollees.