Healthy Students, Promising Futures (HSPF) supports states and school districts in leveraging Medicaid funding to meet the health needs of students. This initiative is led by Healthy Schools Campaign.
The HSPF website offers clear guidance and regularly updated resources on expanding school health services. We invite you to learn about school Medicaid in your state and view our policy briefs, case studies and webinars. If you have questions, HSC staff are available to respond to queries about state programs and the national school Medicaid landscape.
Since 2015, almost two dozen states have expanded Medicaid coverage of school-based health services to include all eligible health services provided to students covered by Medicaid, regardless of whether a student qualifies for services pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These states are aligning with federal policy to increase access to — and sustainable funding for — physical, behavioral and mental school health services.
Yet even within states that have expanded coverage, many schools face challenges when seeking Medicaid reimbursement, including the burden of determining which school health personnel the state Medicaid program deems “qualified” for Medicaid reimbursement.
Technical Assistance
Healthy Schools Campaign provides technical assistance to states committed to expanding school health access and educates school and policy officials about changes to Medicaid policy.
A key component of this work is the HSPF Learning Collaborative. Participating state teams are offered a unique opportunity to share challenges and solutions and to engage directly with Medicaid policy experts and HSPF’s national partner organizations.
To date, 24 state teams have participated in the Collaborative, including representatives from state Medicaid, education and public health agencies, school districts, and national and state organizations.
HSC also works to:
- Help policymakers understand how existing laws in their state might limit Medicaid reimbursement for school health, develop strategies to expand school-based Medicaid programs, and implement trainings to leverage the new funding.
- Advise state Medicaid and state education agencies on how to assess leading health issues and how to ensure the health services needed to address those issues are Medicaid-reimbursable.
- Recommend ways that federal agencies can offer support, technical assistance and replicable models to states and school districts in expanding Medicaid programs.
- Direct stakeholders how to identify the key health and education decision-makers and build support at the state and local levels
History
Healthy Schools Campaign advocated for the 2014 federal Medicaid policy change that opened the door to funding for school health services provided to all students enrolled in Medicaid. HSC also recognized the need to support states and school districts in implementing that change.
In 2016, with support from HSC and Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services established the Healthy Students, Promising Futures Learning Collaborative to support states and school districts in leveraging new policy opportunities to increase access to school health services.
HSC and TFAH took over and co-led the project until 2019, at which time HSC assumed leadership, continuing this effort with a network of national partners.
Funding
This work is made possible with support from:
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Kaiser Permanente
- School Health Corporation
- William & Flora Hewlett Foundation
