HPIO paper spotlights opportunities for Medicaid to fund school-based health care

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The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released a new policy spotlight titled “School-Based Health Care and Medicaid.” 
 
In 2014, the federal government increased flexibility for states to cover school-based health services for students enrolled in Medicaid (more than 703,000 students in Ohio). The new HPIO policy spotlight explores the opportunities this federal policy change presents for Ohio to leverage Medicaid reimbursement to improve the health and well-being of students. 
 
“Providing a wider array of health services in schools can lead to better health and education outcomes for Ohio students, especially among those in underserved groups,” the paper concludes, noting that 26 other states have expanded Medicaid reimbursement for school-based healthcare services beyond students with an individualized education program (IEP). 
 
As illustrated above, as of October 2023, 15 states expanded the population of students for whom Medicaid can reimburse for healthcare services to include all Medicaid-enrolled students (not only those with an IEP). In addition, six states expanded Medicaid reimbursement to a limited set of services (e.g., behavioral health services, school nursing services) to all Medicaid-enrolled students and four states expanded eligibility for Medicaid reimbursement to a subset of the Medicaid-enrolled student population (e.g., students with a 504 plan, which is a formal document that outlines supports or modifications needed by a student with disabilities to ensure they have equal access to education).