Center for Health Care Strategies

In their new Forefront article, Melanie Bella, Henry Claypool, and Sarah Triano from Cressey & Company, Brandeis University, and Center for Health Care Strategies discuss how denying Medicare enrollees a wheelchair because they cannot prove they need it to brush their teeth, bathe, dress, or eat in their home is an administrative waste of time and money—not to mention a waste of the talents and contributions of disabled Americans with Medicare. "Wheelchairs, like cars and bikes, facilitate mobility, functional freedom, and employment and make community engagement possible. However, under current policy, Medicare will only cover the cost of a wheelchair if an enrollee can prove they need it at home to brush their teeth, bathe, dress, or eat. As a result, for some individuals with disabilities such as multiple sclerosis, who can use a cane or walker at home but need a wheelchair for longer trips outside the home, Medicare coverage does not apply to wheelchairs. According to a recent survey, 40 percent of Medicare enrollees who sought coverage for mobility devices or accessories were denied, likely attributable in part to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS’s) “use in the home” policy. There is significant administrative waste associated with the seemingly endless cycle of appeals that follow such denials, not to mention the human and economic costs of unnecessarily isolating disabled Americans in their homes and excluding them from productive and engaging lives in the community." Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/4l6LRir

In our March 2025 Monthly Update, we share lessons on integrating health and housing services to improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness, provide state policymakers with steps to meaningfully engage people with lived experience of behavioral health needs to advance behavioral health reforms, explore steps that Medicaid agencies can take to address member needs in the event of a natural disaster, and much more!

CHCS selected Medicaid agencies in North Carolina and Rhode Island to participate in its Medicare Academy focused on building Medicare knowledge to advance Medicare-Medicaid integration. Made possible by Arnold Ventures, The Commonwealth Fund, and The SCAN Foundation, the academy will support these state agencies in building the Medicare capacity needed by Medicaid agencies to develop and oversee integrated care programs. ?? https://bit.ly/3BG3MYS

Engaging people with lived experience in state behavioral health reform efforts requires thoughtful consideration. States are increasingly engaging people with lived experience of behavioral health needs in policy and program reform efforts aiming to improve access to high quality mental health care and substance use treatment. This guide provides state policymakers with practical steps to meaningfully engage this population to advance behavioral health reforms. It was developed by the Center for Health Care Strategies through close collaboration with consultants with lived experience of?behavioral health needs and interviews with state officials. ?? https://bit.ly/4kzpKkj Cheri Bragg, MSW, Amy Brinkley, Dana Foglesong, Brandy Hemsley, deandre kenyanjui, Luis Tony Sanchez, Steve Allen, Ashley Jasko, MSW, LSW

This brief offers guidance to help provider organizations establish street medicine programs, including Medicaid financing options, strategies for maximizing funding, action steps for successful implementation, and examples from early innovators. ?? https://bit.ly/4jQ3ulR Christopher Menschner, Zackiya Grant-Knight, HIV Medicine Association (HIVMA)

The Center for Health Care Strategies developed two tools to help states conduct landscape assessments of existing member advisory mechanisms and keep track of rule implementation progress. States preparing to implement or improve their own BACs and MACs will find the tools useful for documenting existing efforts, referencing rule requirements, and tracking implementation progress. ?? https://bit.ly/3EKrXck

Maintaining a strong oral health workforce is critical to ensuring comprehensive care for Medicaid populations. Yet, significant challenges persist in sustaining and expanding this workforce, leading to gaps in services. With support from CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, the Center for Health Care Strategies spoke with oral health stakeholders across the country to understand the challenges of expanding the oral health care workforce and opportunities to increase access to vital oral health services. This blog post highlights four key approaches state Medicaid agencies and their partners can use to support a stronger, more effective oral health workforce that better serves Medicaid members. ?? https://bit.ly/3XazIyj CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Madeline Steward, Jade Kissi

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) is a federally recognized Native American nation with roughly 15,000 members. Most of?these members reside in the Qualla Boundary, Tribal land spanning five counties in western North Carolina. In 2021, EBCI became the first Native nation in the country to launch its own Medicaid managed care entity, called the EBCI Tribal Option. The EBCI Tribal Option offers care management and other value-added services to its members. This profile highlights this first-of-its-kind program that provides high-quality, culturally tailored health care to meet the unique needs of Medicaid-enrolled Native community members. ?? https://bit.ly/4hzVJON Rob Houston, Anne Smithey, Armelle Casau

How can health care and homeless services unite to make a difference for people experiencing homelessness? California’s CalAIM initiative to transform Medicaid provides new opportunities to integrate health care, housing, and social services for the 181,000+ Californians experiencing homelessness. Over 24 months, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) with support from the California Health Care Foundation, fostered innovative cross-sector pilots through Partnerships for Action: California Health Care & Homelessness Learning Collaborative. This new brief shares key lessons from these pilot teams, providing practical guidance for organizations aiming to build effective cross-sector partnerships, including findings from a developmental evaluation by Mt. Auburn Associates. ?? https://bit.ly/4hqp2CY Meryl Schulman, Devon Winey, Michelle Schneidermann

Please join Advancing Health Equity: Leading Care, Payment, and Systems Transformation for the second in its 2025 webinar series, “Strategies from the Field: Transforming Care to Advance Health Equity" on Wednesday, March 19, 2-3 pm EST. CHCS Senior Program Officer Vicki Quintana will be joined by AHE’s LC teams to explore strategies for planning and implementing care transformations designed to reduce health care disparities for Medicaid populations. To register and learn more please visit: https://bit.ly/AHE-webinar.