Supportive Care Services: Key to Improving Medicaid Health Outcomes

For more than 70 million of the country’s most vulnerable individuals, Medicaid is a lifeline. Many face persistent barriers that delay care, worsen outcomes, and unnecessarily drive up costs for payors. While clinical care is essential, supportive services like in-home personal care, non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT), and remote monitoring often close care gaps—especially for individuals with dual eligibility for Medicare and Medicaid or those on Long Term Services and Support (LTSS) waivers.

Supportive care services take a holistic view of the member experience by bringing together physical, mental, and social needs. These services also serve as critical touchpoints for engaging members to support adherence to care plans and helping them optimize their care to achieve better outcomes at lower costs.

Meeting Medicaid Members Where They Are

In seven states and the District of Columbia, Medicaid covers one in four residents. Research shows chronic conditions disproportionally impact Medicaid-enrolled adults, with 75% having at least one and nearly one-third having three or more. Populations with high Medicaid utilization, especially individuals with dual eligibility or on LTSS waivers, often face compounding challenges: low income, limited mobility, unstable housing, and more.

Supportive care services help address these challenges directly. While clinical care is essential, non-clinical services like in-home personal care, NEMT, and monitoring offer meaningful support. Personal care programs assist with bathing, meal prep, medication reminders, and companionship, especially valuable for those managing disabilities or complex conditions. NEMT ensures access to appointments, particularly in rural or underserved communities. Monitoring extends care into the home with tools that enable early intervention.

Helping Members Thrive at Home

Personal care is another powerful way to support people in their everyday lives. For Medicaid members with disabilities, chronic conditions, or limited mobility, being able to stay at home with support is critical. Whether it’s help with meals, bathing, or medication reminders, these services make independence and living with complex health conditions or aging in place possible.  Caregivers, home health aides, and personal care assistants form strong bonds with members. They’re not just providing care, they’re building trust and stability, and that connection matters. That connection becomes a vital bridge, especially for members who face challenges engaging with their health plan, healthcare team, or community. 

Bridging the Transportation Gap

Transportation is still one of the most common, and most preventable, barriers to care. Every year, it’s estimated 5.8 million Americans delay care due to transportation issues, and 5% of all U.S. adults forego care because they lack access to transportation. These barriers hit hardest among those with chronic conditions or living in poverty. NEMT is one of the most effective ways to close that gap. By building networks that include both innovative technology and trusted, local transportation providers, Medicaid members can be offered safe, reliable rides that connect them to the care they need, especially in communities that are often left behind.

Extending Care Through Technology 

Finally, technology has allowed even more care to be brought into the home. Remote monitoring tools, like personal emergency response systems or vitals trackers, help identify risks early and support self-management. When paired with a care team that knows the member, these tools help avoid hospitalizations and unnecessary ER visits. It’s about supporting people proactively, not reactively, and making sure someone is looking out for them even when they’re not in a doctor’s office.

The Power of Personal Connection in a Digital Age

Supportive care services are at their best when they combine human touch with smart technology. Aides and caregivers are often in the home daily, forming strong, consistent relationships with members. This level of engagement creates a unique opportunity to identify risks early, reinforce adherence to care plans, and serve as a critical extension of a member’s broader healthcare team. For many individuals with dual eligibility or on LTSS waivers, these caregivers are a lifeline, especially when other supports may be limited.

As healthcare shifts toward value-based models, supportive care services offer a clear return on investment: fewer missed appointments, reduced hospital admissions, improved medication adherence, and greater satisfaction. These outcomes are made possible because these services meet people where they are—literally and figuratively—and build trust through consistent, compassionate engagement.

A Call to Action

Improving Medicaid outcomes means investing in the full picture of care, not just the clinical side. Recognizing transportation, personal care, and home-based monitoring as core infrastructure opens new doors for equity, efficiency, and dignity. They aren’t supplemental. They’re fundamental. As policymakers, providers, and health plans work to strengthen Medicaid, these services must be part of the conversation.