Among the many sweeping changes to the Medicaid program included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”), Congress established new statutory caps on state-directed payments (“SDPs”) in Medicaid managed care. SDPs have long served as a critical mechanism for states pursuing value-based payment (“VBP”) reforms, addressing network adequacy, and advancing health equity for underserved populations. OBBBA imposes explicit Medicare-based caps on new SDPs, time-limited exceptions for certain SDPs that were approved or in development on or before July 4, 2025, and a phased transition to new payment caps beginning January 1, 2028, that will reshape state payment policy tools to drive VBP, narrow disparities, and close gaps in access.[1] State Medicaid agencies, healthcare providers, patient advo

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