Committee for Children Publishes Brief on Medicaid for SEL in Schools

The Committee for Children published an exploratory brief, “Leveraging Medicaid to Fund School-Based Primary Prevention Programs and Services,” which examines how Medicaid can be leveraged to provide school-based social and emotional (SEL) skill building for Medicaid eligible students. The brief notes, “Because states, in adherence to federal law, decide what services are required for Medicaid coverage in their state, proposed changes and advocacy to ensure coverage should be targeted at the state level.”

As such, the brief provides recommendations for states and offers six policy recommendations that would make SEL more available to Medicaid-eligible students:

1. Use the Free Care Policy Reversal,
2. Advance innovative approaches,
3. Ensure their Medicaid State Plan covers prevention services such as school-based SEL,
4. Ensure the financing and payment structure,
5. Clarify what medical necessity is, and
6. Ensure schools and districts have equitable and adequate access to resources.

Access the full brief here.