CISWH Project Resources

The Maintenance of Effort (MOE) provisions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires states to keep the eligibility criteria for their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that they had in place on March 23, 2010, the day the ACA was signed into law. Under MOE, states cannot make it more difficult to enroll in or renew Medicaid or CHIP coverage. For children in Medicaid and CHIP, the MOE provisions are in effect until September 30, 2019. States who violate the MOE provisions risk losing their federal funding match.

How do I know my peer program is working? Wednesday, January 26, 2011, ET
Peers living with HIV/AIDS play an essential role in engaging HIV-positive individuals in care and treatment. This webcast is intended for organizations and individuals interested in learning about methods to document the impact of peer services on HIV care and treatment. Evaluators working in clinics and community-based organizations discuss strategies and tools for monitoring, evaluating, and disseminating information about peer programs.

HIV-positive peers who work to retain PLWHA in care and treatment and who may have experienced life challenges similar to those of their clients have unique needs for supervision and support. Effective peer supervision calls for supervisors to develop a highly supportive supervisory style that borrows from mental health counseling, social work and supervision. This webcast provides strategies for supportive and clinical approaches for supervising peers in the workplace. Panelists discuss case examples addressing issues such as managing peer-client relationships, working with peers as part of a multidisciplinary team and supporting peer development.

In this February issue of the Catalyst Center e-newsletter, we highlighted the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Project, or MCPAP, as a best practice in increasing access to mental health services for the children who need them. Initiated in Massachusetts in 2004, the MCPAP model has since been implemented in nine other states and is in the planning phase in three more. It is recognized by families and practitioners alike as a best practice in increasing access and quality of mental health care services for children.

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. 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.

As a companion activity to the release of this publication, NASHP and the Catalyst Center hosted a joint webcast in 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.

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.

Here we share the lessons learned as PEER Center and Peer Education and Training Sites staff helped organizations integrate peer services to support clients living with HIV. The intent is to share ideas and approaches so program planners, policy makers, evaluators, consumer advisory boards, funders and organizations can integrate HIV-positive peers into HIV care and treatment within their communities. Four case studies describe the PETS/REC Initiative’s efforts to integrate peers into the care and treatment teams within specific organizations and communities.

This article appeared in the Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services in 2011. The article summarizes the results of a qualitative study of 21 staff members from seven programs aimed to engage and retain at-risk PLWHA in HIV medical care.

This presentation explains Health Insurance Options for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Originally published in the April 2011 issue of the Catalyst Center Coverage e-newsletter, this article focuses on financing mechanisms for pediatric palliative and hospice care programs and provides some state-specific examples of noteworthy strategies for financing pediatric palliative care programs that can be replicated.