The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services this week announced the launch of the Children and Families Specialty Plan, a first of its kind statewide health plan to ensure access to comprehensive physical and mental health services for Medicaid-enrolled children, youth and young adults currently and formerly served by the child welfare system. With approval from and at the direction of the North Carolina General Assembly and in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (Blue Cross NC), the CFSP went live Dec. 1.
The name of the plan is Healthy
Blue Care Together.
“The Children and Families Specialty Plan is another example of NC Medicaid’s innovative efforts to provide seamless, integrated, and coordinated care to some of the state’s most at-risk people,” said N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “This plan ensures there is a unified system of care and accountability when it comes to improving the wellbeing of children living with the most complex challenges.”
Supporting children and families served by the child welfare system requires close coordination across multiple systems and partners to ensure we are actively prioritizing family preservation through permanency planning and reunification efforts. Children and families served by the child welfare system often found it challenging to navigate the bifurcated health care system. As a single, statewide health plan, the CFSP is designed to support this population by providing seamless, coordinated access to a full range of physical health, mental health, pharmacy, non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT), long term services and supports (LTSS), and other value added benefits regardless of their geographic location.
Upon launch, approximately 32,000 current and former children in foster care, youth, and young adults under age 26, and their minor children were automatically enrolled in the CFSP. The CFSP provides comprehensive coverage for all services provided by the Standard Plan in addition to most Tailored Plan services, such as 1915(i) Home and Community-Based Services and enhanced behavioral health and residential services. It also includes a broad range of mental health services such as outpatient therapy, inpatient treatment, and crisis and therapeutic residential options for children. Additionally, the CFSP is responsible for addressing unmet health-related resource needs, including housing, food, transportation, and interpersonal violence. The plan also covers pharmacy, long term services and supports and Intellectual/ Developmental Disability (I/DD) services.