- ACA Implementation & State Health Reform
- Coverage and Access
- Federal/State Issues
- Medicaid and CHIP
- Population and Public Health
- Providers and Services
- Acute Care
- Assisted Living
- Behavioral Health
- Child Development Services
- Chronic Care Management
- Community Health Centers
- Developmental Screening
- Early Childhood Services
- EPSDT
- Family Planning
- Federally Qualified Health Centers
- Home & Community Based Services
- Long Term Services & Supports
- Medical Homes & Health Homes
- Mental Health
- Nursing Homes
- Oral Health
- Preventive Care
- Primary Care
- Safety Net Providers
- Quality, Cost, and Health System Performance
- ACOs
- Adverse Event Reporting
- Care Transitions
- Comparative Effectiveness
- Cost Sharing
- Delivery System Reform
- Fraud and Abuse
- Health Care Workforce
- Health Information Technology
- Managed Care
- Medical Homes & Health Homes
- Medical Malpractice
- Patient Safety
- Payment Reform
- Performance Measurement
- Provider Payment Policy
- Quality Oversight
- Specific Populations
- Adolescents
- Childless Adults
- Children
- Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Dual Eligibles
- Elders
- Families
- Low Income People
- Parents
- People with Chronic Conditions
- People with Developmental Disabilities
- Transitional Youth
- Vulnerable Populations
- Young Adults
- Youth
- Youth in Foster Care System
- Youth in Juvenile Justice System
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Enhanced Pregnancy Benefit Packages: Worth Another Look
Through their Medicaid programs, states may offer specialized pregnancy benefits to women that target risks contributing to poor pregnancy outcomes. Though such benefits are categorized as “optional” Medicaid services, they are seen by many as critical to optimizing maternal health and positive birth outcomes. These enhanced pregnancy benefits support women in having healthy pregnancies and contribute to improved infant and maternal health. Congress gave states the option to offer enhanced pregnancy benefits to pregnant women on Medicaid in 1985, and many states quickly took advantage of this opportunity, adding comprehensive non-clinical and medical pregnancy services to their Medicaid benefit packages. The use of enhanced pregnancy benefits peaked in 1993 when forty-four states provided at least one enhanced pregnancy benefit through Medicaid.January 2010 -
Increasing Access to Dental Care in Medicaid: Targeted Programs for Four Populations
Poor access to oral health care and low utilization of oral health services by publicly insured people have been persistent problems that states and their Medicaid programs have grappled with for decades. However, there are groups of Medicaid enrollees – such as young children, pregnant women, people with developmental disabilities, and people living in rural areas – who face particular oral health challenges. These populations can benefit from interventions targeted specifically at their needs. This policy briefing, which is drawn from a literature review and interviews with stakeholders across the country, describes strategies that several states have used to better address the oral health needs of these groups by doing the following:March 2009 -
SCHIP and Adolescents: An Overview and Opportunities for States
Over the past decade, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has made great strides in increasing health care coverage among youth under age 19. However, this overall success masks an important disparity – adolescents are more likely to be uninsured than younger children. As state policy makers and program administrators seek to build on their successes to reach more of those eligible for SCHIP, special attention should be paid to adolescents. SCHIP coverage can not only improve teens’ health, but can reduce the burdens of chronic disease in adulthood.May 2008 -
Chronic Homelessness and High Users of Health Services: Report from a Meeting to Explore a Strategy for Reducing Medicaid Spending While Improving Care
There is evidence that homeless people, especially the chronically homeless, incur high health care costs, much of which may be paid for with Medicaid funds. There is also evidence that health care costs are reduced when homeless people with intensive medical needs enter supportive housing, which combines affordable, stable housing with care workers who assist residents in managing health, mental health, substance abuse, and employment issues. This evidence provides an opportunity for states to reduce Medicaid costs by increasing their investment in housing. In April 2007, a small group of homeless and housing advocates, state health care leaders, and managed care providers met to explore this opportunity.January 2008 -
Medically Needy: An Option Worth Revisiting?
Medicaid medically needy programs allow states the option to expand Medicaid coverage to people with high medical expenses and who otherwise would be ineligible due to income or resource limits. To qualify, individuals “spend down” into Medicaid coverage by paying out-of-pocket medical expenses to lower their income to a predetermined level. Currently, 33 states and the District of Columbia operate medically needy programs. In 2003, more than 3.4 million people – 6.3 percent of the Medicaid population – received coverage through a medically needy program at an annual cost of $27 billion -- 9 percent of total Medicaid expenditures. These programs also allow states to expand Medicaid benefits to certain populations otherwise neligible for Medicaid, notably young adults ages 19 to 21.December 2007» -
Beyond the Basics: Enrollment and Retention of Hispanic Children in SCHIP
This paper examines effective outreach strategies aimed at the Hispanic community, cultural barriers to enrollment and retention/covering undocumented children, and cultural competence in an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse population. The material is based on a March 2002 meeting of SCHIP directors and representatives from community, health, and Hispanic advocacy organizations in 11 states. While the symposium and this paper focus on the narrow issue of increasing Hispanic enrollment in SCHIP, many of the themes identified here apply equally to Medicaid and may also be relevant to other minority populations and other state programs.July 2002» -
Health Care of Children in Foster Care: Who’s Keeping Track?
This report looks at systems of tracking health care services and providers of care for children in foster care. It builds on a NASHP survey of health passport activity around the country and highlights innovative approaches. The report also analyzes the barriers to successful implementation and the implications of Medicaid HMO contracting on health passport systems.October 1997»
