Podcast Summary: Integrating Care and Accountability in Medicaid’s Next Chapter

Podcast: Becker’s Healthcare Podcast
Guest: Erin Henderson Moore, President & CEO, Fidelis Care of New Jersey
Host: Jacob Emerson
Date: January 29, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode features Erin Henderson Moore, President & CEO of Fidelis Care of New Jersey, discussing the evolving landscape of Medicaid managed care. The conversation examines the integration of behavioral health and housing, the challenge of member retention amidst shifting policy, and the business case for increased investment in social determinants of health. Erin also shares advice for fellow Medicaid leaders as the industry faces new demands for measurable outcomes and integration.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Erin’s Background & Role

[00:53-03:01]

• Erin Henderson Moore leads Fidelis Care of New Jersey, a Centene health plan supporting Medicaid, Medicare, and Marketplace enrollees, with a particular focus on long-term services and supports (LTSS).
• Her career spans government programs, consulting, and nonprofit management, including prior leadership roles in UnitedHealthcare’s dual special needs plans.
• Erin emphasizes her commitment to “aligning access, affordability, and accountability,” especially for vulnerable populations.

Quote:

“My role is really about aligning access, affordability and accountability for our state, our members, our provider partners and really building teams who can execute against that mission.”
— Erin Henderson Moore, [01:26]

Major Challenges in Medicaid Managed Care

[04:03-06:28]

Erin highlights two urgent, under-discussed issues:

1. Integration Beyond Clinical Care

• Increasing need to integrate behavioral health and housing into managed care.
• Costs are rising especially in behavioral health, and sustaining housing is critical for supporting patients and enabling intervention.

Quote:

“We've so traditionally focused on physical health, but really where the costs are spiking are in behavioral health. And how do we make sure that people, especially with behavioral health needs, can remain housed and housed long term?”
— Erin Henderson Moore, [04:19]

2. Support for Older Adults & People with Disabilities

• Focus on modernizing LTSS to allow aging in place at home, due to both demographic trends and facility limitations.
• Personal anecdote about the importance of home-based dignity for her late parents.

Quote:

“It's really important that [older adults] were able to stay in their homes and die with dignity and care in places that are comfortable for them.”
— Erin Henderson Moore, [05:35]

Navigating Member Retention During Policy Shifts

[07:23-10:53]

• Multiple policy and coverage changes (e.g., federal work requirements, ACA subsidy rollbacks) are creating churn and uncertainty.
• Fidelis is adopting a “multi-prong” approach to retention:
  • Updating contact methods (email, text messaging) as mailing addresses become less reliable.
  • Advocating for access to real-time eligibility and redetermination data from state partners.
  • Encouraging states to consider innovative methods for engaging members, including AI-powered and tech-driven solutions.
• Gaps in coverage lead to higher system costs and disrupt regular care.

Quote:

“One thing that generally doesn't change is email addresses... [and] across our population, regardless of income and regardless of ages, people have phones. And so how do we use text message?”
— Erin Henderson Moore, [07:54]

“When there's gaps in care, it's...more expensive for the entire system. And it doesn't serve people well to be disconnected.”
— Erin Henderson Moore, [09:55]

The Business Case for Social Determinants Investments

[11:57-13:03]

• Fidelis and Centene are directing grants towards food security, maternal health, mental health, and rural care access.
• The strategy is to invest “upstream,” addressing social factors before they create clinical emergencies and higher costs.
• Reframing investment: not just lowering rates, but creatively shifting spending to prevention and root causes.

Quote:

“Clinical is a reactionary, it's a lagging indicator of how people are doing. One of the things that we're really trying to do is really get upstream and really address social determinants of health, housing instability, behavioral health fragmentation and all the caregiving burden on families.”
— Erin Henderson Moore, [12:08]

Advice for Industry Leaders: Future of Medicaid

[13:38-15:55]

• Integration is critical: Both at a system-level (Medicare/Medicaid) and across care domains (medical, behavioral, social services).
• Accountability is shifting: States want measurable outcomes, not just access metrics. Data sharing and outcome-based contracting will be central.
• The next decade will be defined by a convergence of integration and accountability as Medicaid and related programs evolve.
• Non-clinical cost drivers (e.g., aging, social needs) will increasingly shape budgets and strategies.

Quote:

“You're going to see a confluence or a mix of integration plus accountability that will really define the next decade of Medicaid and much larger government sponsored programs.”
— Erin Henderson Moore, [14:30]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “People just, that's a better experience...putting services around them. And so you're starting to see a lot of cost again at behavioral health services and non traditional clinical services to allow people to age in place at home.”
  — Erin Henderson Moore, [05:49]

• “We need more flexibility in how we work with those members to keep them connected to care...that muscle, it takes a while to get that kind of muscle back of making sure people are, you know, taking their medicine and going to their doctor and it causes a lot of downstream impacts.”
  — Erin Henderson Moore, [10:28]

• “States are being asked for measurable outcomes, not just access metrics...more data sharing, more outcome-based contracting, both with the health plan partners, but also with our downstream partners.”
  — Erin Henderson Moore, [14:09]

Key Timestamps

• 00:53 — Erin Henderson Moore’s introduction and background
• 04:03 — Underappreciated challenges in Medicaid: integration, aging populations
• 07:23 — Approaches to member retention amid policy changes
• 11:57 — Investing in social determinants during coverage instability
• 13:38 — Future outlook: integration plus accountability
• 14:30 — The shift toward measurable outcomes and person-centered care

Takeaways

Erin Henderson Moore calls for Medicaid leaders to prioritize real integration across systems and care domains, get creative on member engagement and retention, and invest in the upstream social determinants affecting health and cost. As the focus in Medicaid moves from access to measurable outcomes, the industry must prepare for increased accountability and embrace holistic, innovative approaches to care.