Tools

Because Health Care is a Right, Not a Privilege

Medicaid Advocacy Tools

Improving Medicaid Access for People Experiencing Chronic Homelessness: State Examples – State initiatives that increase Medicaid access for people who are chronically homeless: 1115 waivers to expand eligibility, expediting Medicaid for people leaving psychiatric and correctional facilities, and simplifying the eligibility determination process.
Improving Access to Medicaid Services for Homeless Families with Children – PowerPoint presentation for Homeless Policy Academies. One-page handouts: Reducing Medicaid Enrollment Barriers for Individuals Who Are Homeless and Protecting Homeless Medicaid Beneficiaries under Managed Care.
Medicaid Action Center of Families USA – provides the latest information on threats to the Medicaid program, including state-specific Medicaid information sheets for use in advocacy work.
Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured – provides information and analysis on health care coverage and access for low-income populations, with a special focus on Medicaid's role and coverage of the uninsured. Includes state-level Medicaid and SCHIP data on enrollment, eligibility requirements, managed care participation, spending and federal matching amounts, and enrollment practices.
FirstStep on the path to benefits for people who are homeless: An Introduction to Medicaid – information about eligibility and the application process that will help social service providers access Medicaid benefits for clients who are homeless.
Model Medicaid managed care contract language for homeless recipients – a tool to assist State officials in purchasing services from managed care organizations on behalf of homeless individuals who are eligible for Medicaid.
Can Managed Care Work for Homeless People? Guidance for State Medicaid Programs – critical factors and recommendations for State administrators to consider when developing and implementing Medicaid managed care programs that include homeless people.
Searching for the Right Fit: Homelessness and Medicaid Managed Care – provides a set of principles and illustrative approaches for States to follow when enrolling homeless Medicaid beneficiaries in managed care plans on a voluntary and/or mandatory basis.

CMS Medicaid Targeted Case Management Rule: Implications for Special Needs Service Providers and Programs – This issue brief examines the CMS targeted case management rule, issued December 4, 2007, in the context of people with complex health needs who receive community-based care management services. Following a brief overview of the case management amendments contained in the Deficit Reduction Act, this analysis summarizes the key elements of the CMS regulation and considers its implications for specialized services, providers, and programs. The House recently approved legislation to delay the implementation of the TCM rule, as well as six other Medicaid regulations, until April 2009. Similar legislation is pending in the Senate.
The Effects of Medicaid Reimbursement Rates on Access to Dental Care prepared for the National Academy for State Health Policy, March 2008
Policy Statement on Medicaid, SCHIP and Homelessness – current policy and advocacy priorities of the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, including recommendations for Federal and State policymakers.
How to Use Medicaid to Assist Persons Who are Homeless to Access Medical, Behavioral Health, and Support Services - This primer was produced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a technical assistance resource to assist State Policy Academy Teams in implementing their State action plans to improve access to mainstream services for people experiencing chronic homelessness and homeless families with children. This primer provides an overview of the Medicaid program, including the basic features of the program, such as eligibility pathways and mandatory and optional benefits to assist persons experiencing homelessness.
Casualties of Complexity: Why Eligible Homeless People Are Not Enrolled in Medicaid – identifies obstacles that prevent eligible homeless people from enrolling in Medicaid, describes how experienced homeless service providers address these problems, and recommends ways in which the obstacles can be surmounted or removed.
A Primer on How to Use Medicaid to Assist Persons Who Are Homeless to Access Medical, Behavioral Health, and Support Services prepared by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, January 2007