Remove barriers to health care for youth
• Determine how health care, especially under Medicaid as expanded under the Affordable Care Act, can be used to provide services and housing to homeless youth and youth at risk of homelessness (pay for case management, housing, mental and behavioral health services, etc.).
• Develop protocols for enrolling homeless youth in Medicaid and other services as expanded under the Affordable Care Act that will remove existing barriers to enrolling and receiving services, including exceptions to parental signature requirements for minors.
• Remove barriers that prohibit unaccompanied homeless minors from accessing the health care services they need without a parent or legal guardian present.
• Develop and distribute to homeless youth providers a resource guide that details all the information relevant to homeless youth providers regarding the Affordable Care Act and how to access services that homeless youth need.
• Encourage all states to fully implement the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid.
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Amy Louttit commented
As of 2013 there were still about 20 states with no laws providing unaccompanied youth with the statutory right to consent to their own general medical and dental care. Aside from the obvious need (and mandate under the ACA) for states to implement outreach programs to have UY enrolled in health care coverage, this coverage will not be useful to the youth in these 20 states. Even in CA where we have these laws for enrollment in MediCal and UY consent to general medical care, there is a gap in the laws. A 14 year old can enroll in MediCal on their own, but cannot consent to their own general medical/dental care until they are 15. Unfortunately, even the 15 and older minors still have a hard time finding a doctor or clinic that understands the laws and their ability to consent on their own. These proposed steps to removing these barriers are a phenomenal start!