New Medicaid initiative focuses on physical, mental health of children, teens

NORTH CAROLINA, USA — Two years after North Carolina invested $835 million into behavioral health, the Department of Health and Human Services launches the Children and Families Specialty Plan, a statewide health initiative to provide physical and mental health care for children on Medicaid and/or in the child welfare system.

The plan launched on Monday, Dec. 1 at the direction of the NC General Assembly with Blue Cross NC. There, it is called the Healthy Blue Care Together.

The need for behavioral health care in children and teens is backed by data, according to NCDHHS. In 2024, one in five high schoolers contemplated suicide, while the rate of children discharged from an emergency room with a behavioral health condition increased 70% during the initial COVID-19 pandemic.

"The Childr