Publicly traded plans have become increasingly important players in the Medicaid managed care market in a number of states. A CHCS-commissioned study, conducted by a team led by Robert Hurley, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University, examines the influence of publicly traded (multi-state, investor-owned) health insurance plans on Medicaid managed care programs.

The study looks at market trends, financial and non-financial performance measures, and the opinions of state officials and health plan executives in states with high participation of publicly traded managed care companies. The authors conclude that publicly-traded plans, by virtue of their size, infrastructure, and resources, have stabilized and strengthened the Medicaid system, providing states with options to expand and enhance programs.

This is part of a series of CHCS reports exploring the evolving managed care industry within publicly financed care (see the links below for additional reports in this series).