Inaccurate Medicaid Managed Care Provider Directories May Limit Enrollees’ Access to Maternal Health Care

Why OIG Did This Review

The United States is experiencing a maternal health crisis, with worse outcomes than in any other high-income country. Access to maternal health care in Medicaid managed care impacts the Nation’s overall maternal health outcomes. Medicaid pays for over 40 percent of births and most pregnant Medicaid enrollees are in managed care plans. Centene, Elevance, and UnitedHealthcare are the three largest parent companies operating in Medicaid managed care. As of 2025, these companies had plans that collectively covered over 29 million enrollees in 38 of the 42 States that have comprehensive Medicaid managed care plans.

Accurate provider directories for comprehensive Medicaid managed care plans help enrollees find and access in-network providers. We evaluated the accuracy of online provider directories for maternal health providers in Centene’s, Elevance’s, and UnitedHealthcare’s Medicaid managed care plans in five States. To do this, we selected a sample of providers from network lists that plans sent to States for assessment and oversight of managed care enrollees’ access to providers. Then, we looked up those providers in plans’ online provider directories that enrollees use to find and contact in-network providers.

What OIG Found

OIG released a companion report that evaluated the accuracy of the network lists that Medicaid managed care plans send to States for assessment and oversight of managed care enrollees’ access to providers.

What OIG Recommends

CMS should take steps to support States in holding Medicaid managed care plans accountable for the accuracy of their online provider directories. CMS concurred with this recommendation.

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