Medicaid Awareness Month Resources

Each year, the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) spends the month of April celebrating the lifesaving program that is Medicaid. Medicaid provides quality health care to more than 80 million people in the nation. Below is a curated selection or resources and cases we believe highlight our advocacy over the past year.

April 30, 2026
An Advocate’s Guide to Medi-Cal Services
Fabiola De Liban, Amy Chen, Abigail Coursolle, Alicia Emanuel, Héctor Hernández-Delgado, T. Nancy Lam, Kimberly Lewis, Carly Myers, Alexis Robles-Fradet, Skyler Rosellini, Jasmine Young, Elizabeth Zirker, and Jules Lutaba
NHeLP’s Medi-Cal Services Guide provides an in-depth description of some of the most important services covered in the Medi-Cal…
February 12, 2026
Advocates’ Guide to the BH-CONNECT Initiative
Héctor Hernández-Delgado, Carly Myers, and Alexis Robles-Fradet
California’s Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) demonstration seeks to help low-income individuals navigate…
August 14, 2025
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA); Interpretation of “Federal Public Benefit” Comments
Dylan de Kervor, Christina Piecora, Mara Youdelman, Héctor Hernández-Delgado, and Emma Parker-Newton
The National Health Law Program submits comments in opposition to the harmful new interpretation the Department of Health and…
February 6, 2025
Protect Medi-Cal Funding 2025 series
Kimberly Lewis, Skyler Rosellini, Abigail Coursolle, Jules Lutaba, Jasmine Young, Fabiola De Liban, Amy Chen, Alicia Emanuel, Carly Myers, Alexis Robles-Fradet, and Héctor Hernández-Delgado
California’s Medicaid program (Medi-Cal) provides a critical investment in the health of Californians. Medi-Cal coverage and services are tailored…
January 15, 2025
Why Medicaid is Important for Treating Substance Use Disorders
Alexis Robles-Fradet
Medicaid covers needed access to comprehensive Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment. Medicaid is the largest source of health insurance…
July 15, 2024
Coalition Letter on California’s Essential Health Benefits Benchmarking
Héctor Hernández-Delgado
California is currently in the process of evaluating the State's Essential Health Benefits benchmark plan. In response to a…
April 30, 2024
Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding: Messaging and Outreach Resources
Michelle Yiu
State Medicaid agencies are beginning to unwind the Medicaid continuous coverage provisions enacted in early 2020 to adapt to…
March 12, 2024
DOJ and OCR Complaints: Complaints Filed Against Medicaid Programs in DC and Texas
Elizabeth Edwards, Jane Perkins, and Litigation Team
The National Health Law Program (NHeLP), together with Disability Rights DC at University Legal Services (DRDC) and Disability Rights…
March 8, 2024
NHeLP’s Framing and Language in the Doula Medicaid Project
Michelle Yiu
In recent years, NHeLP has encountered discussions regarding the problematic etymology of the term “doula” as associated with slavery.…
February 21, 2024
Testimony to Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Health Care: Promise and Pitfalls
Elizabeth Edwards
NHeLP submitted written testimony to the February 8, 2024 Senate Finance Committee meeting on AI and health care that…
February 7, 2024
AMICUS: Planned Parenthood of Montana v. Montana, Supreme Court of the State of Montana
Catherine McKee
In 2023, Montana imposed severe restrictions on coverage of abortion services for individuals enrolled in Medicaid. Reproductive health providers…
February 2, 2024
Case Update: Supplemental Complaint file in Rose v. Becerra
Jane Perkins and Catherine McKee
This case update focuses on Rose v. Becerra, which challenges approval of a Section 1115 Medicaid project in Indiana.…
December 6, 2023
Unwinding Call Center Data Shows Ongoing Problems
Michelle Yiu and Elizabeth Edwards
In August 2023, CMS issued letters to states regarding unwinding data metrics as of May 2023, including data on…
December 5, 2023
NHeLP Federal Comments on CMS’s Request for Comment on Parity in Medicaid and CHIP
Abigail Coursolle
In comments to CMS, NHeLP provides feedback on the mental health and substance use conditions prevalent among Medicaid and…
November 22, 2023
U.S. v. Florida Case Explainer
Arielle Linsey and Jane Perkins
On July 14, 2023, the Southern District of Florida issued a significant decision in United States v. Florida, a…
November 21, 2023
AMICUS: U.S. v. Florida, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Jane Perkins
NHeLP and the amici are pediatric experts and medical associations, a national philanthropic organization committed to advancing health equity,…
November 15, 2023
Comments on Section 504 Proposed Rules: Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Services
Jennifer Lav, Dania Douglas, Elizabeth Edwards, Charly Gilfoil, David Machledt, Madeline Morcelle, Carly Myers, Michelle Yiu, and Daniel Young
NHeLP offered support and suggested critical ways to strengthen the first update to Section 504 regulations since 1977. The…
August 22, 2023
LGBTQ+ Unwinding Fact Sheets for Medi-Cal and Medicaid
Skyler Rosellini and Michelle Yiu
In partnership with Equality California and its affiliate Silver State Equality, the National Health Law Program created two fact…
August 11, 2023
Medicaid Eligibility Call Centers: Questions for LEP & Disability Access
Elizabeth Edwards and Mara Youdelman
Call centers are often the primary way that Medicaid enrollees interact with the Medicaid agency. During the unwinding of…
August 1, 2023
Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) Exclusion and Substance Use Disorders: Lay of the Land
Héctor Hernández-Delgado
The Medicaid Act prohibits the use of federal funding for services provided in Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMDs). In…

Medicaid Awareness Month Resources

An Advocate’s Guide to Medi-Cal Services

Advocates’ Guide to the BH-CONNECT Initiative

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA); Interpretation of “Federal Public Benefit” Comments

Why Medicaid is Important for Treating Substance Use Disorders

Coalition Letter on California’s Essential Health Benefits Benchmarking

Medicaid Continuous Coverage Unwinding: Messaging and Outreach Resources

DOJ and OCR Complaints: Complaints Filed Against Medicaid Programs in DC and Texas

NHeLP’s Framing and Language in the Doula Medicaid Project

Testimony to Committee on Artificial Intelligence and Health Care: Promise and Pitfalls

AMICUS: Planned Parenthood of Montana v. Montana, Supreme Court of the State of Montana

Case Update: Supplemental Complaint file in Rose v. Becerra

Unwinding Call Center Data Shows Ongoing Problems

NHeLP Federal Comments on CMS’s Request for Comment on Parity in Medicaid and CHIP

U.S. v. Florida Case Explainer

AMICUS: U.S. v. Florida, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Comments on Section 504 Proposed Rules: Discrimination on the Basis of Disability in Health and Human Services

LGBTQ+ Unwinding Fact Sheets for Medi-Cal and Medicaid

Medicaid Eligibility Call Centers: Questions for LEP & Disability Access

Institutions for Mental Diseases (IMD) Exclusion and Substance Use Disorders: Lay of the Land