California built insurance billing for school mental health care, and most districts still aren't using it
KFF Health News finds that four years into a $4.4 billion initiative, fewer than a fifth of enrolled campuses had filed a claim.
This is not our reporting
This story was reported and published by KFF Health News. What follows is our summary of it, and why it matters for people writing policy.
Read the original at KFF Health News ↗Our summary
California's Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative, launched in 2021, lets schools bill health insurers for care delivered on campus as part of a $4.4 billion plan. Four years in, the reporting finds uptake thin: roughly 1,000 schools, community colleges and universities have enrolled, fewer than a fifth had filed claims as of June 1, and more than half of the state's school systems and colleges are not participating at all. Carelon, paid $65 million to administer claims, had approved about 232,100 claims worth more than $11.3 million across 186 districts. The state added 1,855 school counselors since 2021 against a pledge of 10,000; student outcomes are not yet measured.
Read the full story at KFF Health News ↗
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