NY agrees to bolster mental services for children on Medicaid as part of class

New York state has agreed to bolster delivery of mental health services for children insured through Medicaid, under a court settlement announced Friday.

The state agreed in the class-action settlement to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers of children’s mental health services, a move intended to increase the number of care providers and reduce wait times for potentially thousands of children seeking help.

“ If children get the help they need when they need it in their homes and communities, you can avoid a lot of the more negative outcomes,” such as hospitalization, said Daniele Gerard, an attorney with the national advocacy organization Children’s Rights, which represented the plaintiffs along with Disability Rights New York and the National Health Law Program.

Justin