Access to Children’s Mental Health Services under Medicaid and SCHIP

August 2004 Access to Children's Mental Health Services Under Medicaid and SCHIP At least one-tenth of children suffer from a serious mental health problem that causes impairment (U.S. Public Health Service 2000). Because parents and providers are often reluctant to label a child with a specific diagnosis, the general term serious emotional disturbance (SED) is commonly used for severe problems. Poor children have more mental health problems than other children (Costello et al. 2003). Since more low-income children are now eligible for public health insurance through the Medicaid "poverty expansions" and the new State Children's . . .