Medicaid SED Waivers Successfully Enrolling High-Cost, High-Need Children

Medicaid waivers focused on children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) are identifying and enrolling the target population of the youth at high risk of out-of-home services. Compared to youth Medicaid beneficiaries not enrolled in the waiver in a single-state analysis, the SED enrollees had higher rates of psychosis, at 31% compared to 4%; developmental comorbidities, at 44% compared to 14%; and psychiatric comorbidities, at 73% compared to 30%. The waiver enrollees had higher rates of anxiety disorders, at 25% compared to 11%; developmental disorders, at 44% compared to 24%; mood disorders, at 88% compared to 23%; and . . .