The waiver will allow Illinois to use its federal Medicaid match in a more effective manner, which will improve the quality of care to Medicaid populations. Among other strategies, Illinois will now be able to shift from institutional settings to community-based care for Medicaid patients in need of mental health or substance abuse care. The overall goal of the Better Care Illinois is to improve population health and experience of care, as well as reduce costs. The focus will be on:
- Prevention and population health
- Paying for value, quality, and outcomes
- Rebalancing from institutional to community care
- Data integration and predictive analytics
- Education and self-sufficiency