Resolve, To Increase Access to Evidence-based Psychosocial Treatment for Children in the MaineCare Program

Sec. 1. Department of Health and Human Services to increase MaineCare reimbursement for outpatient psychosocial treatments for children. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall increase reimbursement rates under rule Chapter 101: MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapters II and III, Sections 28, 65 and 97 for evidence-based therapies for treating emotional and behavioral problems in children. These therapies include multisystemic therapy, multisystemic therapy for problem sexualized behavior, functional family therapy, therapy under the so-called Treatment Foster Care Oregon model and applied behavior analysis. These rates must be sufficient to cover all costs to the provider of delivering the services, including additional training, to attract enough providers to clear waiting lists for services and to attract providers to all areas of the State, including underserved rural areas; and be it further

Sec. 2. Additional evidence-based practices services for children. Resolved: That the Department of Health and Human Services shall issue a request for proposals to contract with therapeutic mental health service providers to offer new evidence-based outpatient psychosocial treatment services for children known as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and parent management training programs. The request for proposals must be funded with General Fund funds and be used for start-up training costs to allow service providers to hire and train staff to provide the treatment. The Department of Health and Human Services shall work with the contracted providers to develop an ongoing MaineCare reimbursement rate for providing treatment that allows for federal Medicaid matching funds and the continued financial health of the service providers providing these therapies.

summary

This resolve requires the Department of Health and Human Services to increase the MaineCare reimbursement rates for evidence-based outpatient psychosocial treatments for children to a rate that covers all costs involved with providing the service, including additional training, clears waiting lists and attracts providers to all areas of the State, including underserved rural areas. The resolve also requires the department to cover 2 additional evidence-based services known as trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy and parent management training programs through a request for proposals, using General Fund funds for training and hiring staff. The department and the contracted providers are required to develop a reimbursement rate for providing the service that is sufficient to allow the continued financial health of the service providers providing these therapies.