Medicaid Offers New Strategies to Prevent Substance Misuse

Apr 28, 2022

This policy brief summarizes specific Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines that can be leveraged to support SBIRT and other public health approaches to preventing substance use among adolescents. In addition to the summary of each guideline, the policy brief also includes a brief description of the relevance of the guideline to youth SBIRT, the action needed at the state level, and links to additional information about the guideline. The guidelines summarized include: (1) Schools can receive Medicaid reimbursement for services offered without charge, (2) Non-licensed providers can deliver preventive services, and (3) Alcohol and drug screening is required under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit.

Melissa Ough, Community Catalyst