Medicaid waivers and access to mental health crisis care
The Effects of Medicaid Section 1115 Serious Mental Illness Waivers on Healthcare Utilization and Suicide-Related Behaviors
This project looks at whether new Medicaid rules that let states pay for psychiatric hospitals and crisis services help adults with serious mental illness and children with serious emotional disturbances get better care and have fewer emergency visits or suicide-related harms.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oregon Health & Science University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Portland, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11172537 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you or a family member has serious mental health needs, this work compares places that used a new Medicaid waiver to fund inpatient psychiatric beds and crisis services with places that did not. The researchers will analyze hospital, emergency department, and Medicaid data across states and over time to see how service use, ED boarding, and suicide-related behaviors changed after waiver adoption. They will also look at differences in how states implemented the waivers to find which approaches work best. The goal is to identify policies that improve access to crisis care and reduce harms for people covered by Medicaid.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The most relevant people are Medicaid enrollees with serious mental illness (adults) or serious emotional disturbances (children), especially those who use emergency departments or need inpatient psychiatric care.
Not a fit: People who are uninsured or have only private insurance, or who live in states that do not implement these waivers, may not see direct benefits from the waiver-driven changes this project studies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could support policy changes that increase access to crisis and inpatient mental health care and reduce emergency visits and suicide-related harms for people on Medicaid.
How similar studies have performed: Early reports from some state evaluations show increased bed capacity or expanded crisis services, but evidence on effects on emergency use and suicide-related outcomes is limited and mixed.
Where this research is happening
Portland, United States
- Oregon Health & Science University — Portland, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcconnell, Kenneth John — Oregon Health & Science University
- Study coordinator: Mcconnell, Kenneth John
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.