Has been a perennial topic of past Arizona Health Futures issue briefs, from looking at the behavioral health care system in The Humpty Dumpty Syndrome to working toward a value-based health care system in Collaborate to Compete. Now, in After the Dust Settles, SLHI analysts look at the impact of budget cuts on Arizona’s most vulnerable adults and children and imagine what a transformed system might look like in the future.

The recent move of Children’s Rehabilitative Services to AHCCCS suggests one scenario, where AHCCCS takes a more direct role in administering systems of care for vulnerable populations, including specialized services now provided by other state agencies such as the Arizona Department of Economic Security (long-term care for people with developmental disabilities) and the Arizona Department of Health Services (behavioral health). This would change agency roles and free up the latter to focus more on population health, prevention and systems development instead of oversight and direct care services.

Good idea? Not everyone agrees. Read After the Dust Settles and join us in a discussion of how we can move beyond a budget crisis mentality and work together to create a more effective and efficient system of care for vulnerable children and families.