CONTACT
Barb Tyler, Office of Communications, (531) 530-7484, barb.tyler@nebraska.gov
Jeff Powell, Office of Communications, (402) 471-6223, jeff.powell@nebraska.gov
LINCOLN – After a thorough evaluation of five excellent bids, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has selected three health plans to provide health care services for Nebraskans in Heritage Health, its Medicaid managed care program, over the next several years. The selected health plans are Molina Healthcare of Nebraska, Nebraska Total Care, and UnitedHealth Care of the Midlands.
“We're excited to work with these three health plans to ensure Medicaid members in Nebraska continue to receive the health care that they need," DHHS CEO Dannette R. Smith said.
The contracts are for five years, with two-year optional renewals. DHHS renews its Medicaid contracts by seeking bids from health plans. After a request for proposals (RFP) was initially released in April, five bids were received in July.
“We are extremely pleased with all of the bids we received," Medicaid Division Director Kevin Bagley said. “Ultimately, while we had to choose three, all five bids were impressive and showed high regard for the Medicaid program and Nebraska."
The selection process began after the proposals were submitted earlier this year. The proposals were scored based on their respective quality, appropriateness, and thoroughness. Stakeholder input from several listening sessions earlier this year was front and center throughout this drafting process.
After scoring the evaluations of the proposals, DHHS interviewed the bidders to hear more about their plans and priorities for the next contract cycle. Key issues in these interviews included:
- Incorporating dental services within their health plans
- Actively using voluntary care and case management to help improve members' lives
- Standardizing certain requirements (such as provider credentialing) across health plans to reduce provider burden
- Providing innovations to add value to members' health care experiences; and
- Improving access to providers across Nebraska.
“By meeting with the bidders in person, we were able to emphasize to them what matters the most to Nebraskans. We believe it is critical that the voices of the people we serve are heard," Director Bagley said.
Nebraska Medicaid will now work with the selected health plans on the orderly transition to the new contracts, to occur on January 1, 2024. Medicaid will also continue to meet with members of the community across Nebraska both in-person and online to speak with them about the changes, answer questions, and adjust our plans as needed. The next listening tour will be held in mid-to-late-October, with more details to be available in the following weeks.
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