Medicaid > Resources

Medicaid and Health Care Reform

The Affordable Care Act, passed in 2010 under the banner of health care reform, also significantly  improved many Medicaid provisions that affect children and adults with psychiatric disorders. See additional resources on these changes.

Updated Documents
If you downloaded or purchased Bazelon Center documents about Medicaid prior to September 2010, you will want to download the relevant update:

• Update on Medicaid for Adults (7/2010)
• Update on Medicaid for Children (7/2010)

Also see:

• Kaiser Medicaid Primer: Explains Medicaid's basic components and the program’s role in health reform, including for people with disabilities.
• Kaiser Poll: Half of Americans Report Personal Tie to Medicaid (May 25, 2011)
• Benefits.gov is the official benefits website of the U.S. federal government, offering personalized access to information about federal and state government benefits, including health care, income support and housing assistance.
• Medicaid.gov: The Medicaid program will remain the most important funding source for the services needed by individuals with low incomes who have serious mental illnesses. Medicaid.gov is the official U.S. federal government website offering information on Medicaid policies and programs.

The Deficit Reduction Act

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-171) made sweeping changes to the Medicaid program.  The Bazelon has produced a summary of how those changes affect people with mental illnesses and conducted a study (2007) of how states reacted to the changes by making changes their own state Medicaid program. 

• Summary of the DRA (2006)
• Bazelon Staff Article on the DRA (12/2007)
• Report: State Medicaid Policy Choices Under the Deficit Reduction Act Provisions Affecting Children and Adults with Mental Disorders (2008)  
• Report Data and Tables (2008)
• Summary of the Targeted Case Management Regulations (2/2007)

Bazelon Center Publications on Medicaid

• Following the Rules: A Report on Federal Rules and State Actions to Cover Community Mental Health Services under Medicaid (2009)
• In the Driver's Seat , an advocate's guide to self-directed mental health care (2008)
• Teaming Up: Using the IDEA and Medicaid to Secure Comprehensive Mental Health Services for Children and Youth (2003)
• Avoiding Cruel Choices: A guide for policymakers and family organizations to Medicaid's role in preventing custody relinquishment (2002 with a 2010 update)
• Recovery in the Community: Funding Mental Health Rehabilitative Approaches Under Medicaid (2001 with a 2010 update)
• Making Sense of Medicaid for Children with Serious Emotional Disorders (1999 with a 2010 update)

Other Resources

• Bazelon Center's Comments on Proposed Regulations: Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services Waivers (6/2011)
• The Effect of Incarceration on Medicaid Benefits for People with Mental Illnesses (5/2009)
• Medicaid in Schools (8/2008)
• Behavioral Health Screening Policies (5/2003)
• Evaluation of State EPSDT Screening Policies (1997 issue brief)
• Community Mental Health Services under Medicaid (12/2008)
• Medicaid State Plan Option for Home and Community-Based Services (5/2007)