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Under a nearly approved waiver, the state of Washington will focus on the social needs of its Medicaid population and leverage partnerships between providers and social support groups in an attempt to improve patients' quality of care. The CMS has granted Washington preliminary approval to overhaul its Medicaid program (PDF) and will give it $1.5 billion to create a five-year delivery system reform incentive payment program and expand options for long-term services and supports. The funding, which is half of what the state initially asked for in its waiver submission, will also pay for supportive housing and employment training opportunities. (Dickson, 10/19)

Will Medicaid expansion save the country money as people stop using expensive emergency rooms for primary care? Not in the first years, said a study published Wednesday online in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study found ER use among Medicaid patients in Oregon stayed high even two years after people gained coverage, and even as more patients visited doctors’ offices, too. (Foden-Vencil, 10/19)