Search Results: MCHLine

Annotation: This brief explores state policy strategies and priorities for improving systems of care for children and youth with chronic and complex health needs, including disabilities, medical complexities, and behavioral health disorders. It describes efforts to promote integrated and coordinated care through state agency alignment and Medicaid managed care arrangements while facilitating access to specialty care via workforce expansion and telehealth. The brief also addresses supports for transition-age youth, strategies to compensate family caregivers, and methods for engaging families as system partners. It features practice examples from Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas and discusses policy considerations using national standards for care coordination and systems of care.

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Keywords: Adolescents, Child health, Chronic illnesses and disabilities, Health care systems, Policy Development, Quality improvement, Service integration, Youth

Annotation: This policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics describes the role of home health care for children with disabilities, medical complexity, and chronic conditions in supporting their daily health and community participation. It outlines the legal obligations of payers under federal programs and mandates, including Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) provision and the Americans with Disabilities Act. The document identifies systemic barriers such as workforce shortages, low reimbursement rates, and the significant financial and emotional burden of unpaid caregiving on families. Recommendations are provided for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to improve regulatory oversight, standardize pediatric electronic data structures, and expand paid family caregiver programs.The statement also advocates for payment reforms to support workforce retention, the provision of specialized medical equipment, and the use of telemedicine for remote clinical support.

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Keywords: Barriers, Child health, Children with special health care needs, Federal legislation, Financing, Home visits, Medicaid, Pediatrics, Policy, Policy development

Annotation: This roadmap provides detailed information on policies and strategies that foster nurturing environments for infants and toddlers and reduce disparities in access and outcomes. Published annually, the roadmap is designed to help state leaders (1) Assess the wellbeing of its infants and toddlers and prioritize state policy goals; (2) Identify evidence-based policy solutions proven to impact policy goals; (3) Monitor states’ adoption and implementation of effective policies and strategies; and (4) Track the impact that policy changes have on improving the wellbeing of children and families and reducing disparities between racial and ethnic groups. A summary of each state’s progress is included.

• 2024
• 2023

Keywords: Child health, Data collection, Early childhood development, Family leave, Health care access, Health status disparities, Home visits, Infant health, MCH programs, Policy, Prenatal care, State initiatives, State policy

Annotation: This brief highlights state approaches and innovations to support equitable systems of care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN).

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Keywords: Adolescents with special health care needs, Children with special health care needs, Health equity, Policy development, Public policy, State initiatives

Annotation: This resource for professionals provides actionable guidance that encourages collaboration across diverse sectors to address and improve inequities and maternal health outcomes. It provides examples of partnerships that leverage new ideas and resources, including innovative approaches to gathering and using data; highlights policies and practices that are improving the health and well-being of birthing people and children across the United States; and includes stories from birthing people and women about their pregnancy and childbirth experiences. Graphics and sample text for social media posts are also provided.

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Keywords: Prenatal care, Advocacy, Childbirth, Colllaboration, Community action, Data, Health equity, Maternal health, Models, Policy, Pregnancy, Resources for professionals

Annotation: This brief highlights the association between child welfare involvement and the lack of stable and adequate housing among children who end up in the foster care system. It presents an overview of the complex problem and provides examples of policy levers state governors have at their disposal to address housing challenges before children are removed from their homes and separated from their families.

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Keywords: Child health, Families, Foster care, Homelessness Child welfare, Housing, Policy development , Prevention

Annotation: This guide presents an overview of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including system inequities, and highlights policy and accountability levers that advocates and other change-makers can use to advance equity. Among the topics addressed are financing, providers and service delivery, barriers to accessing and maintaining CHIP coverage, barriers to accessing health care services in CHIP, accountability and oversight, and policies and actions that could lesson barriers. Links to additional sources of information are included.

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Children's Health Insurance Program, Health care disparities, Health equity, Initiatives, Policy

Annotation: This issue brief examines the implementation of Medicaid/CHIP postpartum coverage extensions from 60 days to 12 months after pregnancy in five states. Based on interviews with 37 maternal health stakeholders, the authors identify key challenges and opportunities to maximize the impact of these extensions on maternal health outcomes. The report finds that while eligibility systems are functioning, limited communication about extended coverage and barriers to accessing care may reduce effectiveness. The authors recommend specific actions to improve implementation, including expanding education about extended coverage, improving quality of postpartum care, supporting continuity of care with a focus on equity, strengthening managed care organization accountability, and monitoring implementation progress. This policy analysis emphasizes that while extending coverage is necessary for improving maternal health outcomes, additional delivery system reforms are needed to address persistent racial and ethnic disparities and ensure coverage translates into access to quality care throughout the postpartum year.

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Keywords: Barriers, Children's Health Insurance Program, Health care delivery, Health care reform, Health equity, Maternal health, Medicaid, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Policy development, Postpartum care, Quality Assurance, Quality improvement, South Carolina, State initiatives, and Virginia

Annotation: This annual report applies a model of health to rank states across multiple measures related to the health and well-being of women of reproductive age, infants, and children. The 2023 report highlights several trends in mortality among women of reproductive age and children, including rising rates of maternal mortality, drug deaths among women and injury deaths among women and children. The 2023 report also highlights several changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a a drop in the percentage of 3- and 4-year-olds enrolled in early childhood education and decrease in the prevalence of electronic vapor product use among high- school students.

• 2023 Full Report
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Keywords: Access to health care, Child health, Environmental influences, Health behavior, Health care disparities, Health disparities, Health status, Infant health, Measures, Public policy, Racial factors, Trends, Women's health

Annotation: This online resource presents strategies to help connect families to children's mental health care; addresses gaps in the mental health workforce; and investigates how funding issues affect mental health care. It also addresses social determinants of health and how they affect mental health care; offers guidance on identifying children who need more support; and provides tools to help support healthy child development and the well-being of families.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Barriers, Child mental health, Health equity, Policy, Services for families

Annotation: This report presents results of a 50-state policy survey conducted by the National Center for Children in Poverty, Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families, and Johnson Policy Consulting. The survey asked state Medicaid agency leaders about Medicaid policies related to screenings and services designed to identify, prevent, and treat infant-early childhood mental health problems. The results and recommendations presented in this report can help mental health and early childhood leaders take stock of current Medicaid policies and their potential to support infant-early childhood mental health.

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Keywords: Access to care, Child health, Health policy, Infant health, Medicaid, Mental health, Public policy, Screening, State surveys, Young children

Annotation: This set of national health and safety standards provides information about high-quality health and safety practices and policies for early care and education settings. Topics include staffing; program activities for healthy development; health promotion and protection; nutrition and food service; facilities, supplies, equipment, and environmental health; play areas, playgrounds, and transportation; infectious diseases; children with special health care needs and disabilities; policies; and licensing and community action. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau]

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Keywords: Administrative policy, Child care centers, Child development centers, Child health, Child safety, Children, Early childhood development, Health promotion, Infant health, Infants, Model programs, Standards, Young children

Annotation: The annual National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report summarizes the status of health and healthcare delivery in the United States. The 2022 version reports on more than 440 measures of quality and examines data in three sections: Portrait of American Healthcare; Special Emphasis Topics (maternal health, child and adolescent mental health, substance use disorders, oral health); Quality and Disparities Tables.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Adolescent mental health, Child health, Child mental health, Ethnic groups, Health care disparities, Health status disparities, Low income groups, Maternal health, Measures, Minority groups, Policy development, Poverty, Racial factors, Social factors, Socioeconomic factors, Socioeconomic status

Annotation: This issue brief presents five ways in which state policymakers can support equitable school-based telemental health (TMH), with recommendations based on relevant policy context, existing research, and feedback from interviews with five TMH providers who testified to on-the-ground experience with these interventions. The brief expands on the following recommendations: (1) Use Medicaid as a funding source for TMH; (2) maintain COVID-era telehealth flexiblities to increase access to TMH; (3) allow flexibility in TMH program implementation so programs can tailor their offerings for different communities; (4) Make it easier for TMH programs to obtain parental consent; and (5) help schools establish multi-tiered systems of support to best leverage investments in TMH.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Adolescent mental health, Child mental health, Mental health services, Policy development, School age children, School health services, State initiatives, Telemedicine

Annotation: This report addresses the severe maternal health crisis in the United States, noting that increasing rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity disproportionately affect Indigenous, Black, and other Communities of color and people with low incomes. The document promotes doula support as an effective model to improve care quality and outcomes. It presents evidence that continuous support by doulas during childbirth is associated with benefits such as increased likelihood of spontaneous vaginal birth and fewer cesarean births, while the extended model (including prenatal and postpartum support) is linked to reduced preterm birth, low birthweight, and improved breastfeeding outcomes. The report discusses different models, including private-pay and longitudinal community-based doula support, emphasizing the importance of culturally congruent, trauma-informed care within a birth justice framework. Major topics covered include barriers to access, such as insufficient Medicaid and private insurance reimbursement and inadequate compensation for doulas, as well as the implications of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. The document features detailed recommendations for federal and state policymakers and private-sector decisionmakers on covering doula services and supporting the workforce, and includes a comprehensive Resource directory

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Keywords: Access to care, Barriers, Childbirth, Doulas, Health equity, Maternal health, Models, Policy development

Annotation: This report provides practical recommendations for providers, payers, and policy makers to consider in adopting approaches to transform child health care delivery. The report is a product of the Accelerating Child Health Transformation initiative, which works to identify, test, and disseminate a comprehensive and adaptable set of blueprints that can be used to transform child health care services to lead to improved child and family well-being, as well as racial equity. The Center for Health Care Strategies identified three key strategies that are integral to child health care transformation: adopting anti-racist practices and policies to advance health equity; co-creating equitable partnerships with patients, families, and providers; and identifying family strengths and addressing health-related social needs to promote resilience.

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Keywords: Access to health care, Child health, Family centered services, Family health, Family support programs, Health care disparities, Health status disparities, Policy development

Annotation: This bulletin provides a brief overview on the issue of racial disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system and the factors that contribute to the problem. The document also describes practices that child welfare caseworkers, administrators, program managers, and policy makers can implement to address these issues in general and at specific decision-making points along the child welfare continuum.

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Keywords: Child welfare, Health care disparities, Health policy, Health status disparities, Policy development

Annotation: This report offers recommendations for policy makers to integrate individuals with lived expertise as partners in program and policy design, implementation, and evaluation to more effectively address food insecurity. Access to affordable, nutritious food is a significant challenge for many individuals enrolled in Medicaid. Experts with lived experience joined state policy makers and representatives from national health care and social services organizations to address hunger by increasing cross-agency partnerships and identifying solutions.

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Keywords: Child health, Evaluation, Federal programs, Food insecurity, Health care disparities, Health equity, Health status disparities, Hunger, Medicaid, Policy development, Poverty, Social factors

Annotation: This fact sheet explores Medicaid policy options for states to meet the needs of children and youth with special health care eneds (CYSHCN) during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and discusses how future rollbacks of PHE modifications may affect CYSHCN populations.

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Keywords: Adolescents with special health care needs, Children with special health care needs, Children's health insurance program, Communicable diseases, Emergencies, Medicaid, Policy development, State health insurance programs, Virus diseases, Youth

Annotation: This issue brief focuses on actions Medicaid agencies can pursue with provider organizations or through their managed care programs to promote health equity and improve outcomes. It highlights state interventions and collaborations that demonstrate promise in reducing disparities and health inequities in birth-related policies. Programs in Virginia, North Carolina, and Colorado are highlighted.

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Keywords: Childbirth, Health care disparities, Health equity, Maternal health, Medicaid, Model programs, Policy, State health insurance programs, State initiatives