Medicaid director outlines defects in Ohio Benefits eligibility system

The state’s technology system that determines whether adults and children are eligible for Ohio Medicaid has nearly 1,100 defects, according to a memo from the department’s director released Tuesday (Source: “State reveals $1.2 billion Ohio Benefits system riddled with defects a year out from Medicaid work requirements,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jan. 14, 2020).

Ohio Benefits, an information technology system that has cost the state $1.2 billion since it was implemented six years ago, has been found to overwrite and eliminate historical documentation needed to prove Ohio Medicaid enrollees’ eligibility. It has ascribed incorrect dates for benefit renewals or has failed to trigger renewals at all. The system has incorrectly linked newborns to people who are not their parents -- at one time linking a baby to an 11-year-old child.

The defects have become apparent to Ohio Medicaid Director Maureen Corcoran, who took over the department for Gov. Mike DeWine, throughout 2019 in various state and federal audits and internal reviews. She described the problems in a 13-page memo to DeWine at the end of the year, made public Tuesday.

Ohio Benefits is owned by consulting firm Accenture and licensed to the state. "Because the underlying system is proprietary to Accenture, future use will require continued license and maintenance agreements with, or the outright purchase of the system from, Accenture," according to Corcoran's memo.

The Ohio General Assembly ordered Ohio Medicaid to require many adult enrollees to work part-time or attend school to obtain health care. The federal government has OK’d Ohio’s work requirement plan, and it is expected to begin Jan. 1, 2021. Corcoran said the state hopes to hit that timeline. However, if Corcoran doesn’t feel confident that the improvements to Ohio Benefits will be made by next year, she said there may be delays. “If we get up to the point of implementation and we don’t have confidence that this is going to be done right, then we will pause," she said.