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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Medicaid’s Transportation Benefit and Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN)

Authors NASHP

Date 2022

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Health Benefits, Medicaid/CHIP

Transportation is essential for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) to regularly access health care and support chronic health conditions that require ongoing treatment. However, CYSHCN are significantly more likely to delay care due to transportation barriers than children and youth without a special health care need. State Medicaid agencies are required to administer the non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) benefit, which provides coverage for rides to and from medical appointments for all Medicaid beneficiaries. States determine when a ride is necessary (e.g., a beneficiary has a mental or physical disability). Knowledge of the NEMT benefit can assist state health officials, including state Title V program staff, in supporting access to care for CYSHCN enrolled in Medicaid.

Medicaid Reimbursement of Title V Care Coordination Services

Authors NASHP

Date 2022

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financing, Medicaid/CHIP

Care coordination can help children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and their families navigate the health care system while avoiding unnecessary costs and duplicative services. States have longstanding efforts to finance care coordination services for CYSHCN and their families through Medicaid, the state Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant (Title V), and other federal and state programs.  Some states have leveraged these programs as part of unique health care delivery systems and financing structures, including Medicaid reimbursement of care coordination administered by Title V programs.

This brief, developed by the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) in collaboration with the Catalyst Center, describes how State Title V and Medicaid programs in Arkansas, Illinois, and Iowa have partnered to finance and deliver care coordination for CYSHCN.

Medicaid 101 Webinar

Authors

Date 2022

Project Catalyst Center

Keywords CYSHCN, Financial Hardship, Financing, Maternal and Child Health, Medicaid Buy-In Programs, Medicaid/CHIP

As the single largest source of health coverage for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSCHN), with robust benefits and cost-sharing limits, Medicaid provides critical coverage of health care services to CYSHCN. State Title V programs are uniquely positioned to collaborate with Medicaid to promote access to the system of services for CYSHCN.

The Catalyst Center hosted a webinar on June 14, 2022, that presented foundational knowledge about Medicaid for Title V staff and their allies. Catalyst Center staff explained the basics of Medicaid including the eligibility pathways to Medicaid coverage for kids and a benefit for children unique to Medicaid called EPSDT that is crucial for access to care for CYSHCN. 

Please click the links below to access the webinar recording, slide deck, and a document with follow-up resources and Q&A responses. 

 

 

COVID-19 Resources for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Library Archive

Authors

Date 2022

Project Catalyst Center

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

The Catalyst Center curated a collection of COVID-19 resources from numerous reputable organizations on a variety of financing and coverage related topics. This resource library previously was available as a unique page on the Catalyst Center website. In April 2022, the Catalyst Center decided to archive these resources and highlight information related to the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, available here. The resources in this archive document were last reviewed on April 26, 2022.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.