November 6, 2007

Administration of Mental Health Services by Medicaid Agencies

After reflecting on the steady growth in the past thirty years, state Medicaid agencies are playing an increasing role in funding, managing, and monitoring public mental health services. Yet relatively little is known on a state-by-state basis about how Medicaid agencies are exercising their responsibilities for mental health services. James Verdier, Allison Barrett, Sarah Davis gave a survey described in this report that begins to fill the information gap. This report presents the results from interviews with State Medicaid directors in all fifty states and the District of Columbia. The interviews explored how State Medicaid agencies are addressing the organizational, funding, policy, management, and data issues that arise from their increased and often shared responsibilities for mental health services.