Medicaid 101 for School Superintendents

March 2019

For more than 30 years, Medicaid has paid for eligible school health services included in student’s Individualized Education Programs (IEP) or Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP). Seventy-nine percent of low-income, school aged children receive health coverage through Medicaid and CHIP which is 37% of all school-aged children. Today, new opportunities exist to enhance the role that Medicaid plays in school, creating a sustainable source of revenue to support school-based health and behavioral health services. This brief explores what Medicaid is, what it covers—in and out of school—and how school districts can leverage Medicaid to enhance school health services.