Medicaid reform rolls across U.S

Six different states have passed or are considering Medicaid reform legislation. Alabama will instigate a network for Medicaid recipients that partners health maintenance organizations with traditional public health care providers. Alaska will launch two pilot programs in April 1997, one which gives Medicaid recipients immediate access to a registered nurse with a phone call, and another that puts case managers in charge of clinically complex patients. The other state initiatives are in Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, and South Dakota.
HHS has approved Alabama's application for a five-year Medicaid waiver, allowing the state to implement a Medicaid reform plan that will move recipients into a managed-care network for their healthcare [...]