State Medicaid programs are increasingly engaging members with lived experience in program and policy design. These efforts recognize that member input is essential for effectively improving health outcomes and advancing equity. Yet, many states experience barriers to effective engagement, including budget and staffing constraints and difficulty sustaining member participation over time, among other challenges.

This report made possible by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute, a program of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, outlines clear recommendations for building and strengthening Medicaid member engagement. Developed by the Center for Health Care Strategies in partnership with Equitable Spaces, the report introduces a continuum for understanding different strategies for engaging people with lived experience in Medicaid and practical principles for building a statewide Medicaid member engagement approach. It draws from a national landscape scan and interviews with Medicaid representatives from six states and 11 Medicaid members. Although the recommendations are tailored to MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid agency, the lessons are applicable for Medicaid stakeholders across the U.S. seeking to enhance community member engagement.