Public Policy Analyses

The Menges Group is regularly enlisted by health plan associations, provider associations, and other clients to conduct policy analyses and prepare reports that promote an evidence-based approach to health care policymaking. Our approach to unbiased public policy analyses includes extensive data analysis using publicly available or client-provided data. This is combined with qualitative analyses to further contextualize quantitative findings and identify programmatic impacts. Analyses may be national, state-specific, or focused on a specific target population.

Using these analyses, our team creates reports and conducts presentations to summarize the findings of our analyses and prepare our clients to meet with policymakers or other stakeholders. We may also meet directly with policymakers to present our findings.

Many examples of our policy-focused project work are available on the Publications page of this website.  A few of our projects which have had a significant impact on Medicaid policy are briefly summarized below:

• For a legislative committee in Alaska, we assessed the pros and cons of adopting Medicaid expansion. Our findings and recommendations played a role in the State’s decision to implement Medicaid expansion.
• For North Carolina’s Medicaid agency we assessed design options for their Medicaid program to a managed care contracting model.
• For a behavioral health entity in North Carolina, we created the design framework for a comprehensive care coordination program for persons with serious mental illness. This framework has evolved into the Tailored Plan program, which is now in the process of implementation.
• In several states and on a nationwide basis, we have analyzed the value their Medicaid capitation contracting programs are yielding. Our access, quality, and cost findings help preserve and expand the use of comprehensive, highly integrated systems of coverage.
• We often analyze the impact of Medicaid prescription drug policy alternatives, such as carve-in/carve-out decisions and whether or not states are best served by adopting a uniform preferred drug list (PDL).
• We regularly produce our own analyses unrelated to our client work, including more than 140 editions of our 5 Slide Series (all of which are available on this website) and our 2021 assessment of Medicaid expansion’s costs, coverage impacts, employment impacts, and hospital revenue impacts.