An estimated 12.2 million people in the U.S. are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. A small, but growing, percentage of this population is enrolled in an integrated program that coordinates Medicare and Medicaid service delivery. To successfully operate an integrated care model, state Medicaid agency staff must develop knowledge of Medicare’s evolving landscape of policies, regulations, and market activity. Medicaid staff, however, often have limited access to Medicare-focused information and training that is both geared to state audiences and tailored to their unique policy goals and health care environments.

In response, the Center for Health Care Strategies, with support from Arnold Ventures, The Commonwealth Fund, and The SCAN Foundation, launched the Medicare Academy to support Medicaid agencies focused on building the Medicare capacity needed to advance integrated care. The Medicare Academy helps participating states build the Medicare knowledge they need to: (1) develop and oversee Medicare-Medicaid integration programs; and (2) engage in longer-term policy and program refinement.

Multi- and Single-State Medicare Academies

The Medicare Academy offers two curriculum approaches ― a longer, multi-state Academy that promotes peer-to-peer learning and a shorter, more intensive single-state Academy that support states with specific goals:

• Multi-State Academy: Launched in October 2022, this 10-month long Academy is working with Medicaid agencies in eight states — Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington State, and Wisconsin — that use varying integration models and bring different levels of Medicare knowledge into the Academy’s virtual classroom. Curriculum and training materials focus on the practical Medicare knowledge most needed by states.
• Single-State Academy: Launching in June 2023, this two-day intensive training in California will work across divisions within the Department of Health Care Services, Department of Managed Health Care, and Department of Aging to build Medicare capacity. This customized curriculum will address the varying levels of Medicare knowledge state staff have within California’s unique landscape.

At the completion of each Academy, participating states will be better positioned to make meaningful changes to their integration policies and processes and build the infrastructure needed to sustain Medicare capacity over time. CHCS will publicly share select Academy resources to support additional states in building and refining integrated models following completion of the Academy.