Delivering Medicaid Mental Health Services and Supports in Schools: Current Landscape and Opportunities to Expand

BACKGROUND

Medicaid is a key policy lever for expanding access to mental health services and supports for children in schools, especially low-income and minority children. This study examines how Medicaid finances mental health promotion and prevention (tier 1), screening and selected interventions (tier 2), and treatment (tier 3) in schools, informing policy recommendations to expand school mental health.

METHODS

Seventeen key informant interviews were conducted virtually from March to October 2022 with research, practice, and policy leaders in school mental health and Medicaid. Interview transcripts were thematically coded to inform recommendations.

RESULTS

Interview themes included that Medicaid is a key funder of mental health services, primarily in tier 3, and that braiding and blending funds is necessary to support services across all tiers in schools. Interviewees underscored the need to expand tier 2 in schools, to expand and diversify the behavioral health workforce (including via non-licensed providers, aligning school-employed provider licensure and billing requirements and building school-community referral relationships), strengthen teaming structures (including state children's cabinets, student case management, and education/Medicaid agency coordination), and leverage technical assistance and training to speed up adoption of new policies (including via guidance and templates that facilitate billing for school health services).

CONCLUSIONS

Policymakers, practitioners, and advocates can use these findings to identify policies and strategies to expand school mental health and reduce inequities.