Today we are excited to introduce a new resource on Medicaid that outlines basic steps Continuum of Care (CoC) leads can take to advance their efforts with securing Medicaid as a resource as part of the local system of services. Using Medicaid to Pay for Services in PSH: Steps for CoC Leads to Get Started was created by the Alliance in conjunction with Techinal Assistance Collaborative (TAC) and CSH.
This is the first of five blog posts each focusing what key points you need to know in order structure Medicaid to pay for services in permanent supportive housing. These posts will follow the themes of this new resource and you can look to this resource to provide more information. So make sure to visit our blog every Monday for next five weeks for new posts!
Understanding Medicaid: What should you know?
Medicaid is very complicated. For those in the housing world it is important to become conversant enough in Medicaid without having to become an expert. So what should you know?
- Securing Medicaid resources is worth the effort. Yes it is complicated and it will not pay for everything but it can make a big difference and the process to restructure Medicaid can form some important partnerships along the way.
- You can still use Medicaid to pay for services even if you are not in an expansion state. Medicaid expansion allows for more people to have health insurance but states can seek new authorities to allow them to cover more people and more services even without expansion.
- Everyone has a part to play. There are lots of things everyone can be doing to help this effort, whether you are a case manager, program manager, or CoC lead. Our new resource covers what each of these positions can do to further efforts to incorporate Medicaid funding into their system of services.
- Find a local expert. Medicaid differs by state making it difficult to outline all the facets of this insurance program in a guide. We have laid out the important questions to ask of your state’s Medicaid program and it will be most useful to you to find a local expert to help you answer these questions.
Read Using Medicaid to Pay for Services in PSH for more information and stay tuned for more highlights next Monday!