Can We Fund the Future We Want? Bridging the Gap -> Vision 2 Impact
CMS has laid out a strategy that many of us in healthcare have hoped to see for years:
Invest in prevention
Empower patients
Support choice and competition
A path to a better healthcare focused on prevention, empowerment and choice.
At the same time this vision is being shared, federal funding proposals could reduce Medicaid support significantly. States are being asked to do more with less—to rethink eligibility, benefits, and provider payments—while trying to maintain care for the 70+ million Americans who rely on it.
In Kentucky, the reality is clear:
1 in 3 Kentuckians depend on Medicaid
Nearly half of all children are covered through it
And rural hospitals and care teams across the state rely on Medicaid to stay open
So What Do We Do Now?
Whether you’re at a startup, a health plan, a hospital, or building digital tools: the work we do now can either stretch resources further or deepen the gap between strategy and reality.
Here’s how we begin to bridge the two:
1. Design with constraint in mind
Could current funding be redirected in some areas to consider how AI can be utilized to drive data, optimize workflow, and provide real time nudges. And/or look for:
Underused data that could flag risk earlier
Operational gaps that digital tools or existing resources can fill
Low-cost workflows that improve experience or outcomes
When funding is tight, simplicity and execution can win.
Can solutions and institutions have bidirectional risk with quality bonuses for both parties?
2. Center the end-user experience
CMS strategy calls on empowerment. Empowerment only works when people engage. If the tech is too complex, if the benefits are unclear, if the forms are impossible to complete then people won’t use it. Plus think about accessibility, trust, incentives and design which also play a role in engagement.
3. Build partnerships that stretch further
No one entity can solve this alone. We need collaborations that:
Connect health plans with community organizations
Help small providers/institutions participate in value-based care
Extend care into schools, homes, and community centers
Solutions that are co-created may just scale.
Final Thoughts
As a practicing physician I saw firsthand how expansion of Medicaid along with a multidisciplinary team approach can improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations. That experience stays with me as I work with companies and leaders building what’s next.
Cheering policy makers to create traction on collaborative ideas focused on both the vision and constraints. The stakes are high, and so is the opportunity.
Between now and next,
Mamata
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/blog/making-america-healthy-again-innovation-healthier-lives
