Medicaid/EPSDT Funding for Early Intervention.

This article discusses Medicaid's EPSDT (Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment) program, which is a significant funding source for a wide variety of early intervention services for Medicaid eligible children. Strategies and questions that can help clarify and improve programs in each state are discussed, and important issues to consider as the nation grapples with health care reform are identified. Some of these include: (1) Medicaid eligibility; (2) requirements of Medicaid's EPSDT program; (3) benefits/reimbursable services under the program; (4) implications for early intervention programs; (5) potential problems; (6) strategies for advocating for fuller implementation of EPSDT; (7)questions for families and advocates to ask about EPSDT; and (8) health care reform. (SG)