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Mental Health

  • American Rescue Plan Home and Community-Based Services Funding: A Review of State Plans to Support Child and Adolescent Mental Health

    Anne Dwyer

    The COVID-19 pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on children’s mental health, exacerbating long-standing gaps in mental health care for children in the United States. Fortunately, a number of states plan to invest in initiatives that support youth behavioral and mental health by leveraging funds made available by section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan…

  • CMS Releases Guidance on New Medicaid Mobile Crisis Services Option

    Anne Dwyer

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services kept busy over the holidays with the release of new guidance to states on the American Rescue Plan Act’s new Medicaid state option to provide qualifying community-based mobile crisis intervention services.  As discussed here on Say Ahhh!, ARPA included a provision allowing state Medicaid programs to provide community-based…

  • Surgeon General Issues Advisory on Youth Mental Health Crisis, Highlights Importance of Medicaid and CHIP Coverage and Calls for More Action

    Anne Dwyer

    This week, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an Advisory highlighting the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis. As discussed here on Say Ahhh!, the pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on the mental health and wellbeing of children, exacerbating long standing gaps in mental health care for children…

  • Build Back Better Act: Health Coverage Provisions Explained

    Edwin Park

    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…

  • National Children’s Provider Groups Declare State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health 

    Anne Dwyer

    This week, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association joined together to declare a National State of Emergency in Children’s Mental Health. As previously discussed here on Say Ahhh!, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on children’s mental health, further exacerbating long…

  • New Medicaid State Planning Grants for Mobile Crisis Intervention Services

    Anne Dwyer

    This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it awarded $15 million in planning grants to 20 state Medicaid agencies to support expanding access to community-based mobile crisis intervention services for Medicaid beneficiaries. As mentioned in our previous blog, the American Rescue Plan created a new state option for state Medicaid…

  • New Report Highlights How COVID-Relief Funds Can Be Used To Strengthen and Expand Medicaid School Programs and Address Student Mental Health Needs

    Anne Dwyer

    As the last few weeks of summer come to an end, families and school districts are preparing for the return of students to the classroom. After a year and a half of living and (largely virtual) schooling during an unprecedented pandemic, the start of this school year can serve as a prime opportunity for school…

  • American Rescue Plan Offers States Funding to Address Critical Need for Improved Access to Mental Health Services

    Anne Dwyer

    The American Rescue Plan passed in March included provisions providing states with new funding opportunities to leverage Medicaid to improve access to mental health services. Recent announcements by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provide states with more information about how they can take advantage of the new opportunities. Section 9817 Additional Support…

  • Pandemic Has Taken Unprecedented Toll on Mental Health of Children, More Support Needed

    Anne Dwyer

    A study released last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) adds to the mounting evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on children’s mental health. CDC Study Findings According to the findings of the study, emergency department visits by children ages 12 to 17 for suspected suicide attempts…

  • Shifting the Paradigm: How Medicaid Can Strengthen Behavioral Health Crisis Response

    CCFadmin

    Police respond to a wide range of situations beyond crimes — everything from traffic stops to domestic disputes to homelessness. They are also generally the first responders in situations involving mental health or substance use crises. This unexpected, largely unrecognized role reflects an unmet need for behavioral health care, gaps in community-based services for mental…

  • Survey Shows Single-Parent Households with Young Children Bear the Brunt of COVID-Related Stress

    Allie Corcoran

    COVID-19 is affecting every part of family life, and for parents of young children the financial strain, emotional stress, and burden of care are especially overwhelming. We know that the emotional wellbeing of parents affects their children’s development, especially in the early years of life. In a recent report of a weekly survey to about…

  • Postpartum Depression Can Persist Well Beyond a Child’s First Birthday – Medicaid Should Adjust Accordingly

    Maggie Clark

    Postpartum depression can last up to three years, new research from the National Institute of Health has found, and symptoms can often emerge well after the first months following delivery and get worse over time. The findings, published in the journal Pediatrics, suggest that providers, particularly pediatricians, should screen new mothers for depression through at…

  • CMS Guidance Spotlights Ways Medicaid Can Support Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services in Schools

    Candace Webb

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released a Joint Informational Bulletin that offers a helpful roadmap to states and schools on the ways certain Medicaid authorities can help support school-based mental health and substance use disorder services for children and adolescents.  As…

  • More States Link Maternal Depression Screenings to Well-Child Visits

    Maggie Clark

    More than twice the number of states now cover maternal depression screenings in Medicaid well child visits, up to 25 states from 11 states just one year ago. This is good news for mothers and children, and comes from an update of the National Center for Children in Poverty’s two-generation state policy profiles. The profiles…

  • Exciting News: CMS Announces First Innovation Model Grants Aimed at Children and Youth

    Tricia Brooks

    CMS has announced that it will launch a new innovation model funding opportunity this fall as part of a multi-prong response to the opioid crisis. The Integrated Care for Kids (InCK) Model aims to reduce expenditures and improve the quality of care for children under 21 years of age covered by Medicaid and the Children’s…

  • “This is not discussed”: Maternal Depression and Young Adult Mental Health

    CCFadmin

    “I know growing up like that this is not discussed if someone is like depressed or if they’re experiencing anxiety. Like no one knows what that is or how to like really address it or realize like this is going to be like ongoing process and a lot of times if like someone’s depressed they’re…

  • CCF Comments on Mental Health Parity Requirements (CMS-2333-P)

    CCFadmin

    The Georgetown University Center for Children and Families submitted the following comments to CMS regarding the proposed rule to update mental health parity requirements (“Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Programs; Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008; the Application of Mental Health Parity Requirements to Coverage Offered by Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, the Children’s Health…