Jeff Myers, CEO of  Medicaid Health Plans of America (MHPA), is pushing hard for more managed care for Medicaid patients. He asserts that it’s a smarter approach than having government  directly pay healthcare providers.

His approach is doing well: Nearly 55 million people — about 75 percent of all Medicaid enrollees — are now covered under managed care, a sharp increase in the last few years.

And he said in an interviee in The Hill:  “Even people who really support the ACA know that it needs fixing. The question is what fix. And as those fixes get considered, the way in which that fix runs up against Medicaid is terribly important, and that’s the area where we’ll really look at.”

But some insurers with experience in the Medicaid business are faring better. And that’s no coincidence, Myers says.

One advantage for Medicaid managed care is that encourages having a narrower  provider networks, which can cut costs.

“It seems to me that the exchange products that work best are ones that, rather than just open up a giant network and provide lots of services, really look at, are there services that we can open up and drive that will improve health outcomes and reduce cost?” Mr. Myers told The Hill.

“And a lot of that design is obviously built into Medicaid.”

To The Hill’s interview with Mr. Myers, please hit this link.