Evaluation of NJ EASE for Caregivers: A National Family Caregiver Support Program Initiative

Despite high postpartum healthcare needs and high rates of postpartum maternal mortality, traditional pregnancy- related Medicaid coverage ends after 60 days postpartum. Medicaid pays for almost half of all births in the US and disproportionately covers births to the low-income population and people of color. There has recently been increased interest in postpartum Medicaid, including an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) option to extend Medicaid one-year postpartum. Prior to this, the March 2020 Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) prevented Medicaid disenrollment during the pandemic, thereby extending postpartum Medicaid eligibility. Drawing on Medicaid expertise at the Center for State Health Policy, results from extended postpartum Medicaid eligibility during the FFCRA can inform current postpartum Medicaid policies, including those being implemented under ARPA. Using the Rhode Island All Payer Claims Database, analyses focus on maternal and child coverage and care use changes during the FFCRA, differences by race and ethnicity, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic context.

Future Visions is a pilot program through the NJ Department of Children and Families, Children’s System of Care, and offers intensive mobile treatment services for families who have high-needs children/youth aged 5-20 with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The program aims to provide extensive wrap around services to stabilize the children/youth in their homes while building skillsets that advance the goals of independent and productive living and community integration. The Center for State Health Policy, collaborating with the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, and the Rutgers Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities, will lead a two-part evaluation of the pilot program including a process evaluation that will examine the provider implementation of the Future Visions model and an outcome evaluation which will assess the impact of the intervention on the participating youth and their families across a range of measures. This project is funded by the NJ Department of Children and Families.