Ohio moves forward with new Medicaid eligibility system

Ohio officials announced this week that they have awarded a contract to build a new electronic enrollment system for Medicaid (Source: “Ohio seeks to overhaul Medicaid eligibility system,” Associated Press via Canton Repository).

The contract calls for Accenture LLC to build a new a new system that will help determine who’s eligible for programs across Ohio’s health and human services agencies, a move that comes as the state expects an increase in Medicaid enrollment because of the Affordable Care Act.

The state’s current eligibility system, known as CRIS-E, was launched in 1978. The new system will begin enrolling people in Medicaid by Jan. 1. The administration says the current system is “so fragile and technically obsolete that it is no longer practical or cost effective to invest in enhancing the system.”