XBluesky

Mental Health

  • 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…