The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on student mental health is one of its most damaging aftershocks. Students are dealing with extreme levels of anxiety and depression brought on by COVID. This is mainly due to their home isolation, lack of social interaction, and trauma.
Over 30 million children receive reasonable, comprehensive healthcare through Medicaid. Furthermore, Medicaid helps in enhancing both their mental health and the financial stability of their families. Many children receive Medicaid-sponsored health care not only at the doctor’s office but also frequently at school. Medicaid funding for school mental health services offers immediate health and financial benefits. Additionally, the children covered by Medicaid experience long-term mental health and economic improvements as adults.
Supporting Children’s Academic Success and Mental Health
Children who are covered by Medicaid benefit greatly in terms of their health as well as their ability to complete their education and find employment. According to a study, children who were Medicaid-eligible as children grow up in better health with fewer hospitalizations and medical visits. Additionally, children who get Medicaid are more likely to complete their education, earn higher earnings as adults, and contribute more to taxes.
The responsibility of Medicaid funding for school mental health services extends beyond making sure that disabled kids may obtain the medical care they require to achieve. Medicaid offers financial assistance for medical services provided to students, which benefits all children, not just those who are enrolled in the program.
Nearly half of school superintendents who participated in a recent poll said they enhance access to health-related services and supplies with the money their districts are reimbursed for providing to Medicaid-eligible children. This includes initiatives that track the medical requirements of kids who qualify and have diseases like diabetes and asthma, as well as running dental clinics inside of schools for kids who qualify for Medicaid and have these conditions.
Each year, one in five kids and teenagers encounter a mental, emotional, or behavioral issue. Yet, only about one-third of those people really get treatment. The nation’s opioid crisis and its effects on kids, teens, and families highlight how vital it is to address mental health issues. Furthermore, it also focuses on the need to address substance use problems in classrooms. Spending money on evidence-based, comprehensive school-based mental health services and drug use prevention and treatment makes ample sense. It is because kids and teenagers spend so much time in class. The same goes for encouraging secure and comforting learning environments that address the trauma some students experience.
Medicaid enables the employment of medical professionals in public schools
Medicaid funding helps to cover the salary of key healthcare workers that educational institutions employ. These include all the nurses, psychologists, counselors, therapists, and others. Every time a student visits the nurse’s office or meets with a school counselor, they benefit from Medicaid in schools. Although Medicaid funds these roles, all students—not just those from disadvantaged backgrounds—have access to and benefit from these professionals’ presence in schools.
Medicaid – A boon for Students who otherwise couldn’t afford medical care
Medicaid helps to provide easy access to students who do not have any insurance. For the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of kids’ health difficulties, districts are eligible for payment. This allows districts to catch problems early on. It also allows them to prevent the problems from becoming more exorbitant and difficult to handle later on. For low-income students, who frequently rely on schools to offer these services, Medicaid money enables school districts to conduct crucial early health screenings, including exams for vision, hearing, and mental health disorders.
Medicaid plays an important role in some school-based health facilities. This particularly includes those that are Federally Qualified Health Centers or specialty Clinics. These facilities can offer Medicaid-enrolled students at or close to a school treatment services for mental health and substance use disorders. Under what is known as the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit in Medicaid lingo, schools can also provide funding for a variety of behavioral health examinations and counseling.
With new Medicaid funds, schools may be able to pay for services like hearing tests, care coordination for students, and health care. Advocates believe that mental health treatments present the greatest opportunity. Many students’ IEPs and Medicaid covers essential medical procedures, such as physical therapy. Still, many kids without such plans frequently require mental health therapies. Schools have raised worries about the rising student anxiety and depression rates even before the pandemic.
Certainly, Medicaid is a ray of hope. The Medicaid funding for school mental health services allows for the hiring of more new medical staff members. The more medical staff, the more students will be able to receive medical assistance and counseling.
