By Jon Gould, Children’s Alliance of Washington
Developmental screens are some of the biggest cost-savers in the field of health; early detection in primary care pays off in preventive measures in the months and years ahead. Yet the 46 percent of the state’s children covered by Apple Health for Kids, who often suffer the worst health disparities, were only eligible for a screening once—while pediatricians recommend three screens.
Washington state took a major step forward in connecting kids to cost-effective health care on June 10, when Governor Jay Inslee signed Senate Bill 5317 into law. Senate Bill 5317 adopts the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended schedule of developmental and autism screenings as its standard for kids covered by Medicaid. The change takes place January 1, 2016.
A developmental screening is a chance for a health care professional to measure how a young child learns, communicates, behaves and relates to others—and to answer a parent’s questions or concerns. Medicaid, which in Washington state operates alongside CHIP under the mantle of Apple Health for Kids, covers 46 percent of the state’s 1.2 million children.
The bipartisan bill requires the state Health Care Authority to reimburse physicians for developmental and Autism screenings conducted under the Academy’s recommended timeframe, dubbed Bright Futures. By allowing children with Medicaid to have the same standard of care as privately insured kids, Apple Health for Kids moves Washington’s children along the route to better care.
Developmental screenings put a steep downward bend in the health care cost curve. They’re critical to connecting families to resources and early intervention services—services that significantly reduce the need for special-education or other remedial measures after age three. Making Bright Futures the screening standard for ALL kids, regardless of income, promotes racial equity, as research shows that children of color are diagnosed later than others.
Poverty, adverse childhood experiences and social bias increase the risk of developmental delays. We all understand that being a kid is a kid’s only task—no child should have to contend with a lack of timely and appropriate health care to boot.
Well-deserved credit for the passage of S.B. 5317 goes to the Washington chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. As we mark the 50th year of Medicaid and celebrate the resounding effects of cost-effective coverage on the lives of children, we know that Washington has improved the lives of kids for generations to come.
