Childhood Begins at Home Releases Brief on Medicaid Financing of Home Visiting Services in PA

The Childhood Begins at Home campaign has released a new brief that examines the opportunity of Medicaid financing of home visiting services to reach more Pennsylvania families.

Learn More

Voluntary home visiting programs employ nurses to support promoting the development and well-being of children and their families. The programs serve families that disproportionately face barriers to health - such as those living in poverty.

“A Closer Look at Medicaid and Home Visiting in Pennsylvania” notes that 66% of Pennsylvania households receiving home visiting services through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Program were at or below 100% of federal poverty guidelines.

This illustrates that many families already receiving home visits are eligible for Medicaid. It also shows there is an unmet need for many enrolled in Medicaid who do not have access to visits.

The study found that:

  • Approximately 45% of Pennsylvania children under age 6 are enrolled in Medicaid; this includes nearly 239,000 infants and toddlers (birth to age three) and 126,000 children ages four to five;

  • About 34% of all births in Pennsylvania are financed by Medicaid.

Despite MIECHV being reauthorized with additional federal funding opportunities following a 2021 financing report as well as an increase of $15 million increase in Pennsylvania’s 2022-23 state budget, home visiting in the state still only reaches about 7% of eligible families. 

Recommendations

Recommendations for the state’s Department of Human Services in the brief include:

  • Improve coordination between DHS’s offices that oversee home visiting

  • Improve data collection and transparency

  • Clarify the amount of funding supporting the home visiting program within DHS’ capitation line

  • Communicate financing rules around MIECHV, Medicaid, and other federal or state sources to maximize the reach of available funding for home visiting programs

For more information, read Childhood Begins at Home’s brief.

Families, News, ProvidersNathan Dukehome health visits, Department of Human Services, Childhood Begins at Home, Medicaid