Two members of the U.S. House representing the Tampa Bay area and who both sit on the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee are championing the “Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act.”
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., introduced the proposal with U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla., as the main co-sponsor.
The bill “will fix a technical glitch in federal statute that threatens to keep the most at-risk children from being able to access appropriate mental and behavioral health services covered by Medicaid.”
Bilirakis’ office offered some of the reasons behind the proposal.
“The Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018 (FFPSA) was designed to transform how states address child welfare issues. In doing so, Congress created a new category for settings delivering trauma-informed treatment to foster care children in a residential setting. These highly specialized programs, known as Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs), offer the opportunity for children who have been severely traumatized to receive the professional help they need to heal and live healthy lives. QRTPs focus on a holistic approach to treating symptoms of trauma and accompanying behavioral and emotional challenges for children with assessed needs. However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)has interpreted the statute to prohibit federal Medicaid reimbursement for residential facilities that house more than 16 persons, by considering them as Institutions for Mental Disease (IMDs). Since then, QRTPs have been unable to draw down federal funding. The Bilirakis-Castor bill would exempt QRTPs from being classified by CMS as an IMD, so long as they continue to follow the federal qualification and necessary accreditation requirements under FFPSA, and thus allow children in the state foster care system who stay in a QRTP to receive the treatment they need without jeopardizing their participation in the Medicaid program,” the congressman’s office noted.
“Most children who are placed in the foster care system have experienced significant trauma,” said Bilirakis. “We need to prevent exacerbation of their situation by ensuring continuity of care in a setting that meets their individual needs. I am committed to ensuring foster care kids have continued access to quality trauma-informed treatment in a supportive environment that enables them to heal, without losing access to Medicaid services. I am proud to work across the aisle to fix this unintended bureaucratic roadblock, and am committed to working in a bipartisan fashion to ensure children get the appropriate health care they need and deserve.”
“Access to mental and behavioral health care is essential to help children in foster care overcome the trauma they’ve experienced and lead happier, more successful lives,” said Castor. “With this bipartisan legislation, we hope to ensure that foster youth can access the care they need through Medicaid. I’m grateful to Congressman Bilirakis for the strong bipartisan work on this important legislation to help our local partners caring for some of Florida’s most vulnerable children.”
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., is also co-sponsoring the proposal.
The bill was sent to the Energy and Commerce Committee. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
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