This memo summarizes new school Medicaid guidance released in May 2023 by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and also draws from CMS’ August 2022 Informational Bulletin. It provides an initial assessment of how states could move forward to expand and enhance their school Medicaid programs.

This guidance makes clear that:
● All Medicaid-enrolled students can be covered for school-based health services.
● All medically necessary services, including preventive, physical, mental health and substance use disorder services can be covered in a school setting.
● States are able to support a wide range of providers in a school setting.
● Students covered by CHIP can be included in school Medicaid.

The School Medicaid Survey was developed to provide visibility into how each state sets up its school Medicaid program and to enable states to find programs that might be similar to theirs. The Survey includes information about school Medicaid expansion, billing and reimbursement, administrative claiming, state audits, random moment time studies, and more.

All 50 states plus the District of Columbia (D.C.) were invited to participate; a total of 38 states and D.C. responded. Information was provided by state Medicaid and state education agency staff between April and December of 2022.

Presentation slides from a June 6 webinar on the newly published school Medicaid guidance are now available online.

Featuring CMS Administrator Dan Tsai and OSERS Director Katy Neas, the webinar was co-sponsored by Healthy Schools Campaign, AASA and the National Alliance for Medicaid in Education (NAME).

The webinar covered:
● Policy shifts in the new school-based services Medicaid guidance
● Complementary policy changes at the U.S. Department of Education to expand school-based Medicaid reimbursement
● How the new guidance will reduce the administrative burden on districts and states
● Steps and supports available to states to expand and strengthen their school-based Medicaid programs
● How AASA, NAME and HSC can support state and district implementation efforts

Expanding school Medicaid programs presents an important opportunity for states to support school districts in drawing down additional, sustainable federal Medicaid funding for school health services. Estimates suggest that states can expect to see significant increases in new federal resources. This brief includes five state examples.

  Healthy Students, Promising Futures is a resource for anyone interested in opportunities to strengthen their state’s school Medicaid program. HSPF staff are available to field questions about state programs and to provide targeted technical assistance. The HSPF Learning Collaborative is open to state teams interested in gaining individualized technical… Read More

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released new guidance this week that will make it easier for school districts to bill Medicaid for healthcare services – including mental healthcare – provided to students covered by Medicaid.

Healthy Schools Campaign has launched the School Medicaid Database, a text-searchable collection of publicly available school Medicaid documents in all 50 states.

Healthy Schools Campaign's statement on Illinois becoming the 19th state to leverage federal funds to improve student health access and health equity.

Healthy Schools Campaign partnered with Council of Chief State School Officers, National Center for School Mental Health, and other organizations from the Collaborative for Student Success to promote leveraging Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds as an important way to build the capacity of state and local education agencies to support wellbeing in schools.