Illinois will soon have increased funding for children who receive Medicaid-covered medical treatments in schools through a recent proposal approved by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The state plan amendment, approved through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, will further develop school-based health services and supports President Joe Biden’s emphasis on the importance of mental health, according to an April 18 news release.
“Today we celebrate the historic action taken by Illinois to expand access to critical health care services in schools for eligible children,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the release. “The Biden-Harris administration is committed to meeting children where they are to provide care that addresses the challenges our nation’s youth are facing, including mental health challenges, I am hopeful additional states will follow Illinois’ lead.”
The release notes the state plan amendment enables schools to obtain funds for covered services for all children with Medicaid instead of just those with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), the release said.
“We’re thrilled to partner with states like Illinois to seize opportunities in Medicaid to expand access to health care in schools,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in the release. “CMS encourages all states to consider adopting this flexibility. It just makes sense to deliver health care services and supports to children where they spend the majority of their time — in school.”
One of several efforts CMS and HHS are taking to enhance access to school-based health services and the availability of Medicaid-covered treatments, including mental health treatment in schools, is the state plan amendment approvals, the release said.
Becerra and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Miguel Cardona urged states to use federal funds, particularly Medicaid, to increase school-based health services for kids in two letters last year, the release reported. Additional guidelines describing best practices for providing health services to children in schools was published in August by the Centers for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Services.