Following the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency and the subsequent “unwinding” of the Medicaid continuous eligibility requirement, people with serious mental illness (SMI) face potentially heightened risk of losing health insurance coverage and, thus, access to needed medications and care. In a follow-up to earlier SMI research that Milliman performed for Karuna Therapeutics, this paper examines strategies states can consider to support the reenrollment in Medicaid for individuals with SMI and ways to help smooth their transition to other coverage sources.
Key topics include:
- Coverage options to support maintaining access to care for people with SMI
- Commercial insurance coverage and its ramifications for the SMI population
- State coverage strategies and considerations
- Leveraging safety net resources for the newly uninsured population
This report was commissioned by Karuna Therapeutics.