Manual: Toward a Healthy Future: Medicaid EPSDT Services for Poor Children

Timely screening examinations and necessary medical treatment are needed to maintain and improve children’s health. Lower-income children are at particular risk for health problems. Thus, the Medicaid Act entitles them to comprehensive screening and treatment through a service called Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT). More than 20 percent of all children in the United States – one in five – are covered by Medicaid and thus entitled to EPSDT. Individuals who are working on behalf of children should be familiar with the EPSDT benefit. This manual seeks to provide comprehensive information about EPSDT and offer practical suggestions for working with and improving the EPSDT program.