Feds allow Medicaid funds for school-based health services

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services quietly announced a policy change last month to allow public schools to receive Medicaid money for health services they provide to eligible students for the first time since 1997 (Source: “With Federal Policy Change, More Money for School-Based Health Services,” Pew Charitable Trust Stateline, Jan. 22, 2015).

The federal policy reversal, long-sought by states and health care advocates, could enable schools to take a lead role in managing chronic childhood diseases and result in the hiring of many more school nurses.

Once several financing and bureaucratic hurdles are cleared, advocates believe the new policy will improve the coordination of care provided to children with conditions such as asthma, diabetes and mental illness. It will be especially important, they say, for low-income kids who are less likely to have comprehensive medical coverage.