Understanding the Influence of Publicly Traded Health Plans on Medicaid Managed Care

November 2006 Understanding the Influence of Publicly Traded Health Plans on Medicaid Managed Care Publicly traded firms have increasingly exerted influence on Medicaid managed care over the past five years. In mid-2006, nine investor-owned, multi-state companies represented about one-quarter of all plans and about one-third of the beneficiaries in Medicaid managed care plans. Expanded presence of the publicly traded firms merits a thoughtful, objective assessment. The activities of these firms and their strong interest in growth, have bolstered the Medicaid market in several states by favorably influencing state policies and payment rates, by increasing the . . .