Introduction
In 2017, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Law Poverty and Everthrive Illinois engaged in activities to protect and strengthen Medicaid’s comprehensive and preventive pediatric benefits as more children were enrolled into Managed Care Plans (MCOs). This work was supported by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Our objectives were and continue to be to support MCO’s in their aim to be compliant with the Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) standards and to ensure that the Medicaid agency holds the MCOs accountable not only for the delivery of services but also for outreach, education, and quality. In these efforts, our goal was to look out for the interests of the children and families who rely on Medicaid and CHIP.