Examining New Medicaid Resources to Expand School-Based Behavioral Health Services April 23, 2024 Issue Brief In light of worsening mental health among youth, strategies have been implemented to improve access to behavioral health services in recent years, including expanding school-based care for students. Leveraging Medicaid to improve and address gaps in school-based behavioral health services has been a key strategy in recent years as youth mental health concerns have grown. Provisions from the Safer Communities Act of 2022 utilize Medicaid to expand both school-based health care and other mechanisms of youth behavioral health care. This issue brief explores the implementation of these provisions from the Safer Communities Act thus far, with a focus on the guidance issued from CMS.
Medicaid Waiver Tracker: Approved and Pending Section 1115 Waivers by State April 23, 2024 Issue Brief This Medicaid waiver tracker page aggregates tracking information on pending and approved Section 1115 Medicaid waivers. It includes resources such as an overview figure, detailed waiver topic tables, and explanatory briefs.
With Current Staffing Levels, About 1 in 5 Nursing Facilities Would Meet Fully-Implemented Minimum Staffing Standards in the Final Rule April 22, 2024 Blog This analysis uses the most recently-available data to examine the percentage of nursing facilities that currently meet the minimum staffing requirements in the final rule.
Total Monthly Medicaid & CHIP Enrollment and Pre-ACA Enrollment May 1, 2024 State Indicator Medicaid Enrollment, Monthly Medicaid Enrollment, total Medicaid enrollment
Section 1115 Waiver Watch: How California Will Expand Medicaid Pre-Release Services for Incarcerated Populations February 7, 2023 Blog On January 26, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved California’s Section 1115 request to cover a package of reentry services for certain groups of incarcerated individuals 90 days prior to release. This approval is the first to include a partial waiver of the statutory Medicaid inmate exclusion policy, which prohibits Medicaid from paying for services provided during incarceration (except for inpatient services).
Coverage of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in Medicare April 30, 2024 Issue Brief This brief describes Medicare coverage of sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception, and compares that coverage with private insurance plans and Medicaid. These benefits are particularly relevant to nearly 1 million women of reproductive age (20-49) who are eligible for Medicare due to having a long-term disability.
Final Prior Authorization Rules Look to Streamline the Process, but Issues Remain May 2, 2024 Issue Brief This brief examines the final CMS regulations governing prior authorization in Medicare Advantage, Marketplace, Medicaid, and other plans, how they might address some current consumer concerns, and some issues that remain.
Disparities in Health and Health Care: 5 Key Questions and Answers April 21, 2023 Issue Brief Disparities in health and health care for people of color and underserved groups are longstanding challenges. This brief provides an introduction to what health and health care disparities are, why it is important to address disparities, the status of disparities today, recent federal actions to address disparities, and key issues related to addressing disparities looking ahead.
10 Things to Know About Medicaid Managed Care May 1, 2024 Issue Brief Our updated explainer provides an overview of comprehensive managed care, the most common way states deliver Medicaid services to enrollees, as well as new federal rules that strengthen managed care access standards.