Aim
Our target customers are state and territorial Title V MCH and CYSHCN directors and their staff, and key partners. The central goal for the Maternal Child Health (MCH) National Training Center Access to Care Core is to provide technical assistance so that state MCH leaders understand national health reform and the implications for MCH populations. With this knowledge, MCH leaders can provide leadership for their Title V programs in concert with their counterparts in state Medicaid, CHIP and insurance agencies and the insurance marketplaces, to help assure that changes to the health care delivery system meet the unique needs of women, children and youth, CYSHCN, and their families.
National health reform extends insurance coverage to millions of uninsured Americans, but simply extending insurance coverage does not eliminate gaps in insurance coverage that may remain for many women and children, including the undocumented, children and youth with special health care needs, and families who live in states that do not expand Medicaid. Additionally, these populations will face new challenges in navigating the system in an era of national health reform. In any case, insurance coverage does not ensure that children and their families will have access to care that is universal and continuous, adequate, and affordable. The Access to Care Core of the National Workforce Development Center, building upon its relationships with Title V programs and knowledge of national and state health reform can help foster partnerships between state MCH programs and Medicaid, CHIP, insurance agencies and marketplaces to improve access to care for MCH populations.