Access to Health Care for Former Foster Youth

Statement

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Bob Casey (D-Penn.) today urged the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to improve access to Medicaid coverage for eligible former foster youth. Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), young people who emancipated from foster care are eligible for Medicaid coverage up to age 26 -- parity for former foster youth and other young adults who are eligible for coverage on their parents health plans until the same age. Unfortunately, many former foster youth are either unaware that they qualify for Medicaid coverage under this provision, or are unable to easily access this coverage.

To improve access to coverage, the senators urged HHS to:

* Collect and disseminate best practices to state child welfare agencies and state Medicaid agencies, particularly best methods used to effectively enroll young adults in traditional Medicaid programs;
* Clarify that the ACA requires states to enroll eligible former foster youth in traditional Medicaid programs, even in states that are not participating in Medicaid expansion;
* Consider deploying resources to ensure information about the Medicaid pathway is publicized directly to foster youth and institutions and networks that interact directly with teens and young adults.

The senators wrote: "Many current and former foster youth face extreme obstacles to success that include physical and mental health issues, as well as economic and housing instability. Multiple studies have found that between 35 and 60 percent of foster youth have at least one chronic or acute health condition that requires immediate and sustained treatment. These challenges can be compounded once they age out of care, and are further complicated by frequent moves that make it difficult for states to locate them and make them aware of the benefits available to them."

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