IMPORTANT: Look for your child’s Medicaid or CHIP renewal in the mail, complete it and mail it back immediately. They may be covered even if you’re not! Between now and April 2024, every child on Medicaid or CHIP will need to go through a renewal process. Keep your child covered and healthy. Complete the renewal as soon as you get it in the mail! Go to Medicaid.gov/renewals to find contact information for your state Medicaid office.

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Mental Health

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Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) cover essential mental and behavioral health services for kids and teens. Coverage includes mental and behavioral health services for children and expectant mothers to prevent, diagnose, and treat a broad range of mental health symptoms and disorders. These services can be conducted in-person or via telehealth.

Prior to the COVID-19 public health emergency, as many as 1 in 6 U.S. children between the ages of 6 and 17 had a treatable mental health disorder. With additional stressors, such as lack of routine and virtual learning, there has been a surge of anxiety and depression in young people since the start of the pandemic. Despite this surge, mental health services declined sharply among children age 18 and under. Although delivery of care via telehealth has helped connect children to important mental health services, data has shown that many children and teens are still not getting the care they need.

Use these tools to encourage parents and caregivers to enroll in Medicaid and CHIP to access important mental health benefits once their children and teens are covered. Be sure to check out the Outreach Tool Library for a full view of the variety of outreach materials available or our Initiative’s pages to locate topic-specific resources.

Mental health computer access

Digital Videos

These short videos, available in English and Spanish, remind parents that Medicaid and CHIP cover mental health care services. Use these videos on social media, post on websites, digital signage and more!

Please Note: These particular digital videos below have unlimited talent rights and can be used in outreach indefinitely, but only as produced by CMS.

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"Mental Health" :15 Seconds

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"Missed Care: Mental Health Can’t Wait" :30 Seconds

Webinars

Poster

Download this poster—available in both English and Spanish—to help with your Medicaid and CHIP outreach initiatives.

"Mental Health" Poster (CMS Product No. 12138)

"Mental Health" Poster (CMS Product No. 12138)

Social Media Messages

Use these messages in your Facebook and Instagram posts, Tweets, or other messaging forums to help us spread the word about the importance of mental health! Be sure to check out our Step-By-Step Guide to Sharing Social Media Graphics for tips on how to post our graphics on your social media accounts and our Partner Social Media Toolkit for best practices on social media outreach.

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Facebook/Instagram

Twitter

Newsletter & Article Template

Use these templates to create your own newsletter or place articles in existing newsletters.

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“Mental Health” Newsletter Template

Text Messages

Share these text messages through community text message programs to remind families the importance of Medicaid and CHIP and mental health coverage.

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Email Signature Images