The Catalyst Center is a national center dedicated to improving health care insurance and financing for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). We are funded by the Division of Services for Children with Special Health Care Needs of the Federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB).

The Center partners with a broad range of stakeholders to:

• Expand health insurance coverage of CYSHCN across the country;
• Close the gaps faced by underinsured families,
• Develop and disseminate innovative financing strategies at the community, state and national levels; and
• Enhance knowledge and collaboration among key stakeholder groups around financing issues.

Latest News

What do Children  and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Require from Health Reform?  

View a pdf of a powerpoint presentation Meg Comeau, Catalyst Center Director, prepared for Family Voices of the District of Columbia and Families USA.

Health Care Reform & Children with Special Health Care Needs: Two new resources

The Catalyst Center has produced two new briefs outlining elements necessary for CYSHCN in health care reform:

• What do Children with Special Health Care Needs Require from Health Care Reform? identifies the three main components of optimal healthcare coverage for CYSHCN. Namely, coverage must be adequate, affordable and continuous.

• Health Care Reform and Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs: Coverage Is Not Enough  provides more specific information. This brief identifies the impact of thin benefit packages on CYSHCN and their families and offers specific policy suggestions to alleviate underinsurance.

The Family Opportunity Act's Medicaid Buy-in Option for CSHCN: What We've Learned

On March 12, 2009 the Catalyst Center conducted a topical conference call of FOA's Medicaid Buy-in. The call included presentations from Carol Tobias, Catalyst Center Principal Investigator, Meg Comeau, Catalyst Center Director, Sally Bachman, Catalyst Center Director of Research, Curtis Volesky, Director of Medicaid Eligibility for North Dakota, and Kyle Viator, Director of Medicaid Eligibility for Louisiana. Listen to a recording of the call now.

New Report: Breaking the link between children's special health care needs and financial hardship

"We looked 'too good' to need help..." 
"We are 'forced poor' [to qualify for Medicaid]..." 
"I have had to quit work..."

An effective national health care reform plan must include a comprehensive understanding of the unique financial challenges faced by families raising children with special health care needs.  The latest publication from the Catalyst Center, Breaking the Link Between Special Health Care Needs and Financial Hardship, describes the three distinct "links" between children with special health care needs and family financial hardship.  It provides policymakers and advocates with examples of proven strategies and policy solutions that can reduce the impact of medical debt and underinsurance. View report (PDF)

How much would a Medicaid buy-in program for children with special health care needs cost in your state? New estimates available

Utilizing new data, the Catalyst Center has updated its state-specific estimates for implementation of a Medicaid buy-in program. Under the federal Family Opportunity Act, families who make under 300% of the Federal Poverty Level and whose children meet the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability criteria can purchase Medicaid either as their only source of coverage or as a supplement to private insurance. 
To learn more about how buy-in programs can benefit families and states, see the Catalyst Center's Health Insurance & Financing Toolkit. To get your state's FOA estimate, contact Meg Comeau, director of the Catalyst Center at mcomeau@bu.edu or (617)426-4447 ext. 27.

Interactive Online Chartbook

The State-at-a-Glance Chartbook on Coverage and Financing for Care of CYSHCN is designed to be both an educational tool and a source of inspiration. Using the online Chartbook, you can now access your state page, easily compare your state data with other states and search for innovative practices by target population or financing strategy.
Access State-at-a-Glance Chartbook