RS22397
Medicaid and Schools
February 17, 2009
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Summary
As a condition of accepting funds under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), public schools must provide special education and related services necessary for children with disabilities to benefit from a public education. Generally, states can finance only a portion of these costs with federal IDEA funds. Medicaid, the federal-state program that finances medical and health services for the poor, can cover IDEA required health-related services for enrolled children as well as related administrative activities (e.g., outreach for Medicaid enrollment purposes, medical care coordination). Despite written federal guidance, schools have difficulty meeting the complex reimbursement rules under Medicaid. According to federal investigations and congressional hearings, Medicaid payments to schools have sometimes been improper. P.L. 110-173 included a moratorium on any administrative action restricting Medicaid coverage or payments for school-based administration and transportation services until June 30, 2008. P.L. 110-252 extended this moratorium until April 1, 2009. This moratorium would be further extended to July 1, 2009, via the Conference Agreement on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (H.R. 1).
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Related Legislation:
- H.R.1
