Last month my colleague Anne Dwyer summarized the now-enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and its provisions with potential to boost access to mental health services for children and families. One we will be watching closely: a review of state Medicaid EPSDT requirements, services, and practices. Long time Say Ahhh! Readers know that Medicaid’s Early Periodic […]
As my colleagues blogged last week, Oregon released its 1115 waiver proposal for state public comment, which included precedent-setting concerns and innovations. We were pleased to see multi-year continuous eligibility included—up to five years for children under age 6, and two years for ages 6 and older. While a few states are in various stages […]
On November 19, 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act, the budget reconciliation bill, with the Senate expected to consider the legislation in coming weeks. The Build Back Better Act includes numerous provisions that would dramatically strengthen and expand both public and private health insurance coverage. Some of the new provisions […]
In May 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that provider orders for non-influenza childhood vaccines through the Vaccines for Children (VFC) program had decreased by a total of about 11.7 million doses during the COVID-19 pandemic. These numbers are shockingly high, but likely underestimate the total number of missed doses. (The […]
Introduction Vaccines are a safe and effective method of reducing the burden of infectious disease. On an individual level, they prevent severe illness, death, and long-term consequences of disease such as neurological disorders. On the community level, they forestall dangerous outbreaks of infectious disease and save money that would otherwise be spent on treating preventable […]
By Sarah Crow and Christina Altmayer Revamping Medicaid policies to improve young children’s social and emotional health and address health care inequities is particularly critical in California, where over half of children ages 0 to 5 have Medicaid coverage (known as Medi-Cal, in California), and two-thirds are children of color. California ranks near the bottom […]
