Early Childhood
A child’s brain develops most rapidly in the earliest years of life, building the foundation for learning, behavior and health. Medicaid, along with CHIP, serves four out of five young children in low-income families, serving as a logical place to reach these children and their families before kindergarten. Prioritizing young children and their families in Medicaid through cross-sector, innovative practice change has the potential to improve their lifetime trajectories, overall population health and long-run savings. Through blog posts, papers, and resources, CCF seeks to highlight ways Medicaid can do more to set our nation’s youngest children on a path of healthy physical, social, and emotional development.
CMS Releases Postpartum Care Toolkit to Help States Address Access, Quality, and Equity of Care in Medicaid and CHIP
The rapid state adoption of extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months offers an important opportunity to help ensure new parents and their infants get the health care they need during a critical period of family change following a birth. Last month, CMS released a timely resource for states seeking to help […]
Medicaid Funding for Home Visiting: Time to Scale What Works for Young Children and Families
As more states adopt Medicaid’s postpartum extension, making health coverage work for postpartum people and their newborns requires dedicated attention by states on the best ways to ensure mom and child get the right care at the right time. One popular, evidence-based intervention for young families is home visiting. The approach typically includes some combination […]
States Can Help Address the Child Care Crisis by Prioritizing Health Coverage
Federal and state lawmakers are seeking policy solutions to address the child care crisis that was exacerbated by the pandemic. Workforce challenges loom large, with necessary attention to boost wages for the child care professionals who play a role in not only helping parents work, but also promoting early childhood development. But states can also […]
State Opportunities to Improve Health Care Coverage for Child Care Professionals
States are grappling with how to more effectively support their child care workforce, including ensuring providers have access to affordable health care. Just like parents, frontline early education professionals are better able to support children in their care when they are healthy. A healthy caregiver is especially important for young children because brain development in […]
Oregon Leads the Nation By Covering Children in Medicaid from Birth to Kindergarten – Which State Will Be Next??
The Biden Administration announced today that it will approve Oregon’s request to provide continuous Medicaid coverage to children from birth through age five and for two years for all Oregonians enrolled in Medicaid age six and up. This use of Section 1115 authority is precisely what Medicaid demonstrations are for — as we and colleagues […]