Section 4004(i) requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide guidance to states and health care providers regarding preventive and obesity-related services that are available to Medicaid enrollees, including obesity screening and counseling for children and adults.
It also requires states to design public awareness campaigns to educate Medicaid enrollees regarding the availability and coverage of preventive and obesity-related services, with the goal of reducing incidences of obesity.
Lastly, it requires HHS to submit a Report to Congress every three years, beginning on January 1, 2011, which addresses the status and effectiveness of the activities above, including summaries of state efforts to increase awareness of coverage of obesity-related services. The 2014 report can be found at: https://www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/medicaid/quality-of-care/downloads/rtc-preventive-obesity-related-services2014.pdf (PDF, 133.39 KB).
Ways CMS helps states meet these requirements include the following:
- CMS hosts a series of calls and webinars to support state efforts to inform Medicaid enrollees regarding coverage of preventive services. These calls provide an opportunity for states to share and learn about best practices for education and outreach campaigns, obesity-prevention initiatives, and other Medicaid and CHIP disease prevention activities.
- CMS develops fact sheets that address Medicaid coverage of preventive and obesity-related services, which states can personalize and share with providers and other stakeholders.
- CMS collects and disseminates examples of state Medicaid program efforts to increase awareness of preventive services.
- Additional written resources are published on the Prevention page on the Medicaid.gov website: https://www.medicaid.gov/medicaid/benefits/prevention/index.html
- Technical assistance questions can be sent to: MedicaidCHIPPrevention@cms.hhs.gov