The staff of the Catalyst Center has in-depth knowledge of the implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which was passed in 2010. The Supreme Court upheld challenges to the law in 2012 and 2015.
Our team has produced a range of peer-reviewed articles, fact sheets, reports, and other publications that demystify the complexities of the ACA, and illustrate how it impacts Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs and their families.
Affordable Care Act Fact Sheets for Families
Created by the National Resource Center for Patient/Family-Centered Medical Home and the Catalyst Center, these four plain-language fact sheets explain specific provisions of the Affordable Care Act which benefit children and youth with special health care needs. Topics include concurrent care for children, habilitative services, health home programs and coordinated care, and health insurance Marketing and Medicaid coverage for children with disabilities.
Resources:
The Affordable Care Act: A Working Guide for MCH Professionals (“ACA 101”)
This guide, developed by the Access to Care Core of the National MCH Workforce Development Center, provides the building blocks for current and future MCH professionals to learn the basics of the Affordable Care Act and its implications for Title V programs.
Resources:
The Affordable Care Act: A Side-by-Side Comparison of Major Provisions and their Implications for CYSHCN
This brief offers a concise description of select provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a side-by-side analysis of what they may mean for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and their families.
Resources:
The Affordable Care Act and Children with Special Health Care Needs: An Analysis and Steps for State Policymakers
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides states with important tools to help children and youth with special health care needs (CSHCN) and their families access coverage that is universal and continuous, adequate and affordable. However, interpretation of the law and addressing implementation challenges with the unique needs of CYSHCN in mind will shape how well the ACA fulfills its promise to this vulnerable population. This paper developed by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) for the Catalyst Center reviews and analyzes key provisions of the ACA relevant for CYSHCN to help inform state policymakers’ decisions in implementing health care reform.
Resources:
Medicaid/CHIP Tutorial Section 9: What’s New Under the Affordable Care Act?
In Public Insurance Programs and Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Tutorial on the Basics of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)(A publication by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) for the Catalyst Center, Feb. 2012)
Webinar: What Changes Can I Expect from the ACA and How Do I Make the Case for Partnership in My State? (Sept. 19, 2012)
This tutorial provides a user-friendly overview of Medicaid and CHIP coverage for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), specially written with Title V MCH staff and family leaders in mind. It includes information on how Title V and state Medicaid officials can work together to increase the quality and decrease the costs of health care for children with special health care needs. Section 9 focuses on Medicaid eligibility changes in the ACA in the context of the goal for health care reform: that nearly everyone will have public or private health coverage by 2014. An associated webinar covering this material was conducted on Sept. 19, 2012. The slides and recording are available.
Resources:
Slides: Implementing Section 2703 Health Homes for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs: What Inquiring Minds Need to Know
Section 2703 of the ACA describes a state plan option to provide health homes for Medicaid-enrolled individuals with at least two chronic conditions, one chronic condition and the risk of developing a second, or one serious and persistent mental health condition. This presentation, given at the 2014 AMCHP conference, provides and overview of this provision of the ACA, highlights strategies states have used to include CYSHCN in their Medicaid Health Homes, efforts for sustaining the Health Home after the two years of enhanced funding ends, and lessons learned.
Resources:
Webcast: The Affordable Care Act and Children with Special Health Care Needs
As a companion activity to the release of the NASHP publication described above, NASHP and the Catalyst Center hosted a joint webcast at the end of January 2011. Policy experts from the NASHP and Catalyst Center teams presented highlights from their analysis. A panel of state and federal officials shared their perspectives on the report.
Resources:
Issue Brief: The Affordable Care Act and Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities
The Catalyst Center has developed a new report for the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) that offers a brief description of selected provisions in the ACA that have implications for children with ASD/DD. It describes how state Title V maternal and child health (MCH) programs can maximize opportunities under the ACA to develop and strengthen systems of care for children and youth with ASD/DD.
Resources:
Your Questions About the Medicaid Expansion Provision of the Affordable Care Act Answered
One of the many ACA-related topics that we have been following closely is the Supreme Court’s decision that made the Medicaid expansion optional for states. This brief discusses the implications of the Medicaid expansion for CYSHCN and young adults with special health care needs.
Resources:
Your Questions on the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin Answered
A compilation of answers to several questions that our stakeholders have asked regarding the Essential Health Benefits Bulletin issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on December 16, 2011, and its possible impact on CYSHCN.
Resources:
What’s the Deal with MOE?
The Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provision in the Affordable Care Act prohibit states from reducing Medicaid or CHIP eligibility for children through September 30, 2015. This policy brief explains what the provision is and why it is especially important for children and youth with special health care needs. are viewed by some states under stress due to fiscal constraints.
Resources:
Fact Sheet: Health Care Reform: What’s in it for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs?
This joint fact sheet from the Catalyst Center and the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) provides an overview of how CYSHCN may benefit from selected health care reform provisions and where opportunities for maternal and child health professionals to play an active role in implementation might lie.
Resources: