Resources produced by our team include hundreds of papers, peer-reviewed articles, manuals, and other products on a range of topics related to health and social needs services and supports.

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122 Results Found

The Role of Title V Programs in Increasing Access to School-Based Health Services: Opportunities for Bolstering Medicaid Reimbursement

Authors Catalyst Center

Date 2022

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Medicaid/CHIP

In 2014, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reversed the 1997 Medicaid policy known as the Free Care Rule, which limited the ability of schools to bill Medicaid for student health care services. In this explainer, the Catalyst Center provides an overview of the Free Care Rule reversal, outlines actions states have taken to implement the policy change resulting from the reversal, and describes how State Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) and CYSHCN programs can collaborate with stakeholders to expand access to services in schools through Medicaid reimbursement.

Unwinding the Maintenance of Effort Requirement at the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE): The Role of Title V Programs

Authors Catalyst Center

Date 2022

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords Covid-19, CYSHCN, Financing, Medicaid/CHIP

Under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, state Medicaid programs are eligible to receive an additional 6.2 percent federal funding match provided they meet certain Maintenance of Effort (MOE) requirements. One of these requirements includes providing continuous eligibility to enrollees through the end of the month in which the Public Health Emergency (PHE) ends. After the PHE expires, states will need to redetermine the eligibility of over 80 million Medicaid enrollees, including an estimated 37.3 million children.

This Catalyst Center explainer describes how the end of the MOE requirement under the PHE could impact children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN), and outlines specific actions state Title V programs can take to help ensure continuous coverage for CYSHCN.

The American Rescue Plan Act: Opportunities for Improving Home- and Community-Based Services for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs

Authors Catalyst Center

Date 2021

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords Covid-19, CYSHCN, Financing, Medicaid/CHIP

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law on March 11, 2021. Provisions in this legislation have the potential to expand and strengthen Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS) for children enrolled in Medicaid, in turn strengthening the systems of services for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).

The ARPA gives states the option of receiving extra financial support for providing HCBS to Medicaid beneficiaries. Specifically, the law provides for a 10-percentage point increase in the state’s Federal Medical Assistance Percentage, or FMAP. States must use the additional funds they receive under the ARP FMAP increase to expand and enhance HCBS for Medicaid beneficiaries.

This Catalyst Center explainer provides an overview of the ARPA HCBS provision and its potential implications for CYSHCN.

Strategies for State Title V and Medicaid Programs to Promote Health Equity for Children of Color with Special Health Care Needs

Authors The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)

Date 2021

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Health Equity, Medicaid/CHIP

State Title V and Medicaid programs provide services for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) to support their physical, behavioral, and developmental care. States are also advancing health equity goals to address disparate outcomes experienced by people of color. With evidence of existing inequities laid bare by the COVID-19 pandemic, states are finding opportunities to unite these efforts to improve care for CYSHCN of color.

This mini-brief, developed by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) in partnership with the Catalyst Center, describes key areas where states are strengthening health equity for CYSHCN, including initiatives in family partnership, Medicaid managed care (MMC) programs, quality measurement and performance reporting, and cross-sector partnerships.

Strengthening Title V – Medicaid Managed Care Collaborations to Improve Care for CYSHCN

Authors The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)

Date 2021

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Medicaid/CHIP

Forty-seven states use some form of managed care to serve children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) enrolled in Medicaid. State Title V programs, which are required to use 30 percent of their funds for programs for CYSHCN and their families, may also serve these same children. By working collaboratively, Medicaid agencies, Medicaid managed care organizations (MCOs), and state Title V programs can expand their individual capacities to strengthen the system of services for CYSHCN.

This mini-brief, written in partnership with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), describes how such partnerships can contribute to reductions in duplication of services, en­hanced care coordination efforts, and the development of cross-agency programmatic supports to meet the physical, social, emotional, behavioral, and socioeconomic needs of Medicaid-enrolled CYSHCN and their families. 

Webinar: The Expanded Child Tax Credit: Implications for Families Raising Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN)

Authors Catalyst Center

Date 2021

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financial Hardship, Health Equity, Maternal and Child Health

The recent Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion is expected to improve the economic security of millions of families in the U.S., including families raising children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). While many families will receive the expanded tax credit automatically, others of the most vulnerable families need to take action to access the financial support.

On August 24 at 2pm ET, the Catalyst Center hosted a webinar explaining the expanded CTC and the role that Title V and Family Leader organizations might play in assisting families in accessing this support.

The webinar program featured presentations by Elaine Maag, Principal Research Associate, Tax Policy Center, Urban Institute and Brookings Institution; Stacy Collins, Associate Director, Health Systems Transformation at AMCHP; and Isabel Dickson, Economic Mobility Specialist of the Maternal and Child Health Program at the Colorado Department of Health and Environment. 

Below, you can access a recording of the webinar, presentation slides, and a page of resources related to the expanded CTC. 

State Definitions of Medical Necessity Under the Medicaid EPSDT Benefit

Authors NASHP

Date 2021

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Health Benefits, Medicaid/CHIP

State Medicaid programs are required to provide Medicaid enrollees under age 21 with comprehensive and preventive health care services through the Early Screening and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit. Federal law requires states to cover “medically necessary services” under the EPSDT benefit “whether or not such services are covered under the State plan.”  The federal statute does not define “medical necessity” but instead describes a broad standard for coverage. States can, therefore, establish their own parameters for medical necessity decisions so long as those parameters are not more restrictive than the federal statute. In March 2021, with support from the Catalyst Center, The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) conducted a 50-state scan of medical necessity definitions used by state Medicaid programs for their EPSDT benefit, updating a previous scan conducted in 2013. This resource presents definitions of medical necessity from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Improving Care Coordination for Children with Medical Complexity: Exploring Medicaid Health Home State Options

Authors Veronnica Thompson, Kate Honsberger

Date 2021

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Medicaid/CHIP

States are increasingly interested in care coordination as a strategy for improving systems of care for children with medical complexity (CMC) and their families. The Section 2703 Medicaid Health Home State Option and the new Advancing Care for Exceptional (ACE) Kids Act Health Home State Option present opportunities to enhance and expand care coordination for CMC in Medicaid. This new brief compares the two approaches and presents key considerations for states as they explore implementing health home options. Additionally, the brief presents New York as a case study in implementing the Section 2703 Medicaid Health Home State Option to provide care coordination for CMC. 

The Role of State Medicaid and Title V Program Definitions of Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs in the Provision of Services and Supports

Authors Taylor Platt, Eddy Fernandez, Kate Honsberger, Karen VanLandeghem

Date 2020

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Health Equity, Medicaid/CHIP

This issue brief, written in partnership with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), describes how states define CYSHCN within Medicaid and Title V CYSHCN programs and explores the implications of these definitions. Federal and state program approaches to defining children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) can impact how they determine eligibility for health care services and supports (e.g., care coordination), evaluate the impact of services, and measure outcomes.  The brief presents an analysis of data gathered through administrative and interview data from seven states (AZ, FL, NY, OH, OR, UT, and VA), and presents state considerations for establishing and implementing definitions of CYSHCN.

Catalyst Center COVID-19 Resource Series

Authors

Date 2020

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords Covid-19, CYSHCN

The public health emergency resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has real implications for state Title V programs as well as families raising children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).

These fact sheets address a variety of relevant topics, such as Medicaid and CHIP programs and the CARES Act.