FEATURED ARTICLE
How Six States Use Medicaid Managed Care to Serve Children with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, Virginia Charts, Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health /by NASHP WritersMedicaid managed care provides a unique opportunity for states to strengthen the structure and delivery of care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), studied how six states (Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia) designed their managed care systems to serve CYSHCN and […]
State and Federal Officials Explore Ways to Promote Healthy Child Development in a New Era
/in Policy Reports Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Social Determinants of Health /by Carrie Hanlon and Jill RosenthalThe first years of life significantly impact long-term health and well-being and policymakers have worked hard to create initiatives that help children during this important period. Recently, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) convened state and federal leaders from agencies serving young children to discuss innovative approaches to advance healthy child development in […]
New Program Helps State Medicaid Programs Close an Immunization Disparity Gap
/in Policy Blogs CHIP, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Immunization, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by Megan LentState Medicaid programs play a vital role in protecting public health by ensuring that children receive all of their recommended immunizations. If all children born in 2009 were fully immunized, for example, it would prevent 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease, while saving the country more than $13.5 billion in direct health […]
WV Medicaid Covers an Innovative and Less Costly Treatment Model for Opioid-Affected Infants
/in Policy West Virginia Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Infant Mortality, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Safety Net Providers and Rural Health /by Becky Normile and Carrie HanlonEach year, state Medicaid programs cover more than $1 billion to care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) – a condition caused by opioid use during pregnancy. NAS often results in expensive hospital stays in order to treat the infant’s withdrawal symptoms, such as irritability, poor feeding, seizures, and respiratory distress. Earlier this month, […]
How Governors Addressed Health Care in Their 2018 State of the State Addresses
/in Policy Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming Charts Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Housing and Health, Integrated Care for Children, Integrated for Pregnant/Parenting Women, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Expansion, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Quality and Measurement, Social Determinants of Health, Value-Based Purchasing, Workforce Capacity /by NASHP StaffLatest Continuing Resolution Funds Six Years of CHIP
/in Policy Blogs CHIP, CHIP, Eligibility and Enrollment, Health Coverage and Access, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health /by Anita CardwellYesterday, after a three-day federal government shutdown, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) bill that was quickly signed into law to keep the federal government operating through Feb. 8, 2018. After months of delay, Congress included new, long-term funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in the CR. Since September 2017, when consistent federal […]
States Drive Innovations in Quality Measurement and Improvement for Children with Special Health Care Needs
/in Policy Blogs Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement /by Anisha Agrawal and Becky NormileChildren and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) are a diverse population whose health care needs and costs often exceed those of most children. Improving care for this population is critical, yet challenging, due to the complexity of conditions of some children, and the multitude of systems (e.g., health, education, social services) and supports […]
Lessons from Project LAUNCH: Promoting Healthy Child Development through Behavioral Health Integration and Mental Health Consultation Where Children Live, Learn, and Grow
/in Policy Blogs Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, Community Health Workers, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, Essential Health Benefits, Health Coverage and Access, Health Equity, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Population Health, Quality and Measurement, Social Determinants of Health /by Becky NormileThe first few years of life are critical to a child’s development, setting the foundation for success in school and overall health and well-being later in life. Recent research proves that providing early, skilled behavioral and mental health interventions in venues where young children and their families live and play is highly effective at improving […]
States Work to Improve Care for Children with Special Health Needs with Quality Measurement
/in Policy Michigan, New York, Texas Reports Care Coordination, Children/Youth with Special Health Care Needs, CHIP, Chronic and Complex Populations, Cost, Payment, and Delivery Reform, Eligibility and Enrollment, EPSDT, Health System Costs, Healthy Child Development, Integrated Care for Children, Long-Term Care, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Primary Care/Patient-Centered/Health Home, Quality and Measurement, Value-Based Purchasing /by Anisha Agrawal, Becky Normile and Karen VanLandeghemImproving the quality of care that children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) receive is a growing priority for state Medicaid programs. However, many quality improvement efforts are in their infancy as states work to overcome the challenges of measuring and assessing care quality for this vulnerable population. NASHP, with support from the […]
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
Through Coordination and Investment, Arizona Substantially Increases Access to School-Based Behavioral Health Services
/in COVID-19 State Action Center, Policy Arizona Blogs, Featured News Home Back to School, Behavioral/Mental Health and SUD, Chronic and Complex Populations, Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, COVID-19, EPSDT, Health Equity, Integrated Care for Children, Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health, Medicaid Managed Care, Medicaid Managed Care, Physical and Behavioral Health Integration, Population Health, Social Determinants of Health /by Anita Cardwell and Gia GouldBy leveraging federal Medicaid funding and state investment while simultaneously clarifying complex billing procedures and enhancing engagement with providers, Arizona has made remarkable progress in increasing student access to critical school-based behavioral health services. Arizona’s efforts to improve school behavioral health services began in 2018 when its state legislature allocated $3 million from the state’s […]