Federal District Court Approves Settlement Agreement to Improve Michigan's Medicaid Behavioral Health System for Children

The federal district court approved a settlement agreement in the class action lawsuit K.B. v. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, requiring the state to improve its Medicaid behavioral health system for children. Under the agreement, Michigan must ensure access to intensive home and community-based services, establish a standardized eligibility and assessment process, improve data collection and oversight, and implement continuous quality improvement measures. The settlement provides crucial relief to Medicaid-eligible children with intensive mental and behavioral health care needs, who previously experienced psychiatric hospitalizations and institutional residential treatment due to lack of access to necessary services.

Key Takeaways:

The settlement agreement requires Michigan to improve its Medicaid behavioral health system for children, ensuring access to intensive home and community-based services statewide.
The agreement establishes a standardized eligibility and assessment process to identify and connect children with necessary services consistently and equitably.
Michigan must improve data collection and oversight to track services and outcomes, and implement continuous quality improvement measures to sustain progress.
The settlement provides crucial relief to Medicaid-eligible children with intensive mental and behavioral health care needs, who previously experienced psychiatric hospitalizations and institutional residential treatment.
Counsel for Plaintiffs include National Health Law Program, Mantese Honigman P.C., Disability Rights Michigan, and John J. Conway P.C.
NHeLP continues to secure critical victories for children and youth in Medicaid, despite federal Medicaid cuts and harsh new restrictions that threaten coverage and care for millions.

Statistics:

2018: Plaintiffs filed the class action lawsuit K.B. v. Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
August 28: The National Health Law Program issued a press release announcing the settlement agreement.
The settlement agreement provides relief to Medicaid-eligible children with intensive mental and behavioral health care needs who experienced psychiatric hospitalizations and institutional residential treatment.
Michigan must ensure access to IHCBS for children with significant behavioral health needs throughout the state.
The agreement requires Michigan to improve data collection and oversight to track services and outcomes.

Sources:

National Health Law Program
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