DC Roundtable: Margaret "Meg" Murray and Ceci Connolly Discuss Medicaid Challenges, ACA Success and Partisan Divides

Margaret "Meg" Murray, CEO of the Association of Community Affiliated Plans, and Ceci Connolly, president and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans, were welcomed to MHE's first DC Roundtable podcast episode for a discussion on healthcare policy issues.

Murray

Murray discussed the impact of Medicaid redetermination on their members, noting significant losses and ongoing challenges.

She emphasized the importance of addressing rate setting and policy flexibility to ensure continuity of care for Medicaid beneficiaries.

Related: DC Roundtable: Ceci Connolly and Margaret "Meg" Murray Talk Medicare Advantage, Drug Pricing and Political Priorities in 2024 Elections

Connolly echoed Murray's concerns, emphasizing efforts to ensure individuals rolling off Medicaid maintain insurance coverage, though she expressed further concerns about large for-profit nationals overshadowing nonprofit local plans in Medicaid bidding processes.

Connolly

Both Murray and Connolly acknowledged the ACA's success in expanding healthcare access but highlighted ongoing affordability challenges and the need for enhanced subsidies.

Regarding partisan divides on the ACA, they stressed the need to separate political "rhetoric" from healthcare benefits.

Despite negative public views on the ACA, many still rely on its provisions for coverage, highlighting the disconnect between public opinion and healthcare needs.

Murray emphasized the need for regulatory changes to strengthen the ACA, stating, "There's still places that the law needs tightening... that's one we'd like to see a permanent codification of the regulation, but even just to get the regulation change from what the previous administration did would be good."