Nick Manetto Speaks to InsideHealthPolicy About Streamlining Medicaid Care for Children

In “Pandemic Highlights Interstate Challenges For Medicaid Kids' Care,” InsideHealthPolicy turned to Faegre Drinker Consulting principal Nick Manetto for insight on how the focus on overloaded children’s hospitals transferring patients may renew interest among lawmakers in streamlining Medicaid provider screening and enrollment to make it easier to care for patients across state lines.

“We need to recognize that it’s not uncommon for kids to have to go out of state for care when they have a complex situation or complex care need, and we want to just make sure that we’re not creating unnecessary barriers to that care,” Manetto said. “And perhaps COVID-19 is accentuating or putting a little brighter light on that than you would normally see when these cases are not as prominent, but the need has been there for a long time.”

The publication also explained that the process of approving out-of-state care for Medicaid-enrolled children is burdensome and can delay care, which might worsen children’s health conditions. Thus, Manetto and other health care advocates are pushing lawmakers to pass the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, which would create a voluntary screening pathway for certain children’s hospitals and related providers to enroll in other states’ Medicaid programs if called on to provide care to children. These providers would be limited to those serving children or, in some cases, adults being treated for conditions that developed before age 18.