First Focus on Children responded to a request for Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure with recommendations highlighting the unique needs of children, the current gaps that exist that prevent children from accessing necessary care, and recommendations that CMS can implement to improve pediatric EHB for children.
Excerpt from the Comment:
We believe that Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit which guarantees specific benefits designed especially for children is the definitive standard of pediatric care. EPSDT covers all preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services that are medically necessary for children, including those who have a chronic condition, functional impairment, or significant or multiple health risks. Through EPSDT, children have an array of services including developmental, dental, vision and hearing screenings, mental and behavioral health services, and home and community-based services allowing health problems to be diagnosed and treated appropriately and as early as possible. We believe that EPSDT should serve as the model for the scope and breadth of EHB for children.