Child Welfare Systems Policies and Practices Affecting Medicaid Health Insurance for Children

This study presented national data on financing policies and practices for health and mental health care among children in child welfare settings, including those who are not placed out of the home. Our three objectives were to: examine variation in the provision of health insurance with a specific focus on placement status; describe mechanisms for assuring timing of coverage; and compare Medicaid expansionary practices to innovations in financing and organization of services for youth. Expansionary Medicaid practices were associated with managed care and innovations in the financing and organization of mental health services such as carve-outs.