HealthLeaders-InterStudy, the leading provider of managed care market intelligence, reports that nationwide, Medicaid enrollment grew by two million lives in the first half of 2009 to more than 52 million, reflecting the economic downturn and exacerbating many states' budget concerns. According to data from Managed Market Surveyor-Rx, Medicaid growth nationwide increased nearly five percent, with 25 states, including Florida and Michigan, experiencing enrollment growth of more than five percent.
Managed Medicaid--in which states contract with private insurers to manage Medicaid enrollees' healthcare through HMO-style plans--grew by approximately 1.6 million members from January 2009 to July 2009. A significant portion of the growth seen in this sector (more than 760,000 enrollees) was in "carve out" programs in which the state handles all of the pharmacy benefit rather than contracting with health plans for that service. States with "carve out" programs include Texas, New York and Wisconsin. Another 850,000 of the growth appeared in states that carve out only a part of the pharmacy benefit, including California, Florida and Michigan.