This program is for children from birth to age 21 who are eligible for Medicaid. Under the EPSDT program, children are checked for medical problems early. Specific tests and treatments are recommended as children grow older. The areas of health care that are checked include: preventive check-ups; growth and development assessments; vision; hearing; teeth; immunizations; and laboratory tests. Children should receive health check-ups regularly or before the following ages: 1 month; 2 months; 4 months; 6 months; 9 months; 12 months; 15 months; 18 months; 24 months; 3 years; 4 years; 5 years; 6 years; 8 years; and once a year for ages 10-20.

This is an excerpt from the full brief.

The Issue

In every state, assuring access to health care and a medical home is a core component of the Early Childhood Comprehensive System (ECCS) initiative.Medicaid finances health, mental health, and developmental services for approximately one-third of U.S. children under age 6. This Project THRIVE Short Take discusses the importance of Medicaid’s child health benefit—the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program.

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) coverage offered through the Medicaid program has played an important and unique role for low-income children with disabilities, and maintaining this support is a key concern. This issue brief discusses the challenges and implications for young people with disabilities when they become adults and lose their EPSDT benefits and how recent changes to the Deficit Reduction Act give states an opportunity to increase the availability of services that allow disabled individuals to lead as normal a life as possible as they move into adulthood.

This knowledge path has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources about providing and strengthening EPSDT services. The path includes guidelines for the frequency, timing, and content of health-promotion and disease-prevention services for infants, children, and adolescents. It is aimed at health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, and families, and it will be updated periodically.