Medicaid
States Explore Emerging Evidence to Learn New, Innovative Uses of Telehealth
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) recently launched the Telehealth Affinity Group, composed of state policymakers, that is examining emerging evidence from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) into innovative uses of telehealth to transform health care delivery systems in states. State and federal policymakers are eager to explore emerging patient-centered outcomes research […]
Read More

State Medicaid Quality Measurement Activities for Women’s Health
Updated September 2019 State Medicaid agencies provide a variety of health services to promote women’s overall health and improve birth outcomes, such as reducing infant mortality. States use performance measurement, incentives, and other improvement initiatives to enhance preventive care, chronic disease management, and perinatal care. This map and downloadable chart highlight states’ managed or accountable […]
Read More
Multiple Factors Appear to Be Contributing to Children’s Rising Uninsured Rates
US Census Bureau data released this past week revealed 8.5 percent (27.5 million people) did not have health coverage at any point during 2018 – an increase from 7.9 percent (25.6 million people) in 2017. The latest census data also affirmed fears raised after reports of declining child enrollment in Medicaid and the Children’s Health […]
Read More

Toolkit: State Strategies to Support Older Adults Aging in Place in Rural Areas
This toolkit highlights state initiatives to help older rural adults age in place by increasing services that help people remain in their homes, expanding and professionalizing the caregiver workforce, improving transportation access and services, and making delivery system reforms within Medicaid programs. Download the report. Introduction Rural areas across the nation have higher concentrations of […]
Read More
State Officials Fear Final Public Charge Rule Could Deter Health Coverage Enrollment
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently finalized a rule that significantly changes immigration policies related to “public charge” determinations. Under long-established US immigration policies, individuals who are deemed likely to become a “public charge” and require extensive government support can be denied an adjustment of their immigration status (e.g., issued a green card) or […]
Read More
State Medicaid Levers to Promote Immunization: California’s Experience
Vaccines are a powerful and cost-effective tool to prevent diseases and save lives. Once common, deadly diseases such as polio, measles, and mumps are preventable and smallpox no longer exists outside of a laboratory. According to research estimates, of 4.3 million infants born in the United States in 2009, vaccines will prevent 40,000 deaths and […]
Read More
States Take Action to Improve Health through Housing
On a single January night in 2018, approximately 553,000 people in the United States experienced homelessness, either sleeping on the street or in a variety of shelters, and those numbers have been gradually increasing since 2016. The risk of homeless also looms large for many who are housing insecure, including 25 percent of renters nationwide […]
Read More
NASHP and States Develop National Care Coordination Standards for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Care coordination has long been a core component of state efforts to improve health outcomes, reduce caregiver and patient burden, decrease health care costs, and strengthen systems of care for children and adults with chronic and complex conditions. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), with support from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s […]
Read More
A Snapshot of State Efforts to Reach and Enroll Children for State Medicaid and CHIP Programs
In 2018, the number of children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) declined 2.2 percent. It is not known if these children moved to other sources of health coverage, like employer-sponsored insurance, or became uninsured until publication of the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey this fall. However, last year’s decline […]
Read More
States May Soon Have to Provide Medication-Assisted Treatment to Inmates, Here’s How to Fund It
State policymakers on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic understand that treating justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) offers a critical opportunity to expand access to treatment. While there is strong evidence that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) promotes recovery, saves lives, and reduces re-incarceration, states must surmount significant policy and financial challenges to provide MAT […]
Read More