CHCS 2025 Summer Reading List

Whether you’re unwinding by the shore, nestled by a campfire, or recharging at home, good reading can spark fresh thinking. The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) 2025 summer reading list spotlights recent insights and innovations in health care delivery from CHCS’ work nationwide. Check out this year’s must-reads (and listens) and take away practical insights for improving care.

• Meaningfully Engaging People with Lived Experience in Behavioral Health Reform: A Guide for States – Engaging people with lived experience of behavioral health needs calls for thoughtful and sensitive consideration. This guide provides policymakers with practical steps to meaningfully engage this population to advance behavioral health reforms.
• Considerations for Evaluating State Initiatives Addressing Health-Related Social Needs – Medicaid agencies are implementing initiatives to address members’ health-related social needs using a range of policy mechanisms. This tool offers guidance for states on developing effective strategies to monitor implementation and evaluate the impact of these efforts.
• Using Provider Payment to Reduce Disparities: Lessons from Two Medicaid Health Plans – Medicaid payers can use value-based payment (VBP) to incentivize providers to prioritize care quality over service volume. This blog post shares insights from two health plans on developing and implementing VBP models that reduce health disparities.
• Financing Mechanisms for Street Medicine and Other Low-Barrier Models of Care – Street medicine and similar low-barrier care models can effectively engage people experiencing homelessness in care and services. This brief draws on research and interviews to offer providers guidance on developing and financing low-barrier care models.
• Building Cross-Sector Collaboration Between Health Care and Homeless Services: Ground-Level Insights from California – How can health care and homeless services unite to transform lives? This brief offers insights for communities interested in building effective partnerships to improve care for people experiencing homelessness and influence systems change.
• Expanded Medicare Coverage of Intensive Outpatient Services: Considerations for States – Medicare now covers intensive outpatient (IOP) services, filling a critical gap in behavioral health care. This brief shares considerations for Medicaid agencies to ensure continued and expanded access to IOP services for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
• Food is More Than Just Medicine – Medicaid agencies are increasingly using “Food is Medicine” services to improve health outcomes and lower health-related costs for enrollees. This CHCS-authored Health Affairs article explores how state agencies can effectively integrate these services into their program design and delivery.
• Improving Diabetes Care Through Access to Continuous Glucose Monitors in Medicaid: State Opportunities – Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) enable people with diabetes to make informed decisions about their health. Yet, many Medicaid beneficiaries lack access to these devices. This blog post outlines key strategies to expand CGM access within Medicaid.
• Strategies to Optimize the Medicaid Oral Health Workforce – Maintaining a strong oral health workforce is critical to ensuring comprehensive care within Medicaid. This blog post highlights four ways states can support a stronger, more effective oral health workforce.
• Medicaid Primary Care Payment Reform: Considerations for Creating Alternative Payment Models for Child Health Care – Alternative payment models can help states support more comprehensive care for children and sustainably fund practices. This brief explores how this payment approach can be used to support pediatric care transformation.
• Medicaid Leadership Exchange Podcast, Season 6: Shaping More Responsive, Effective Medicaid Programs – In this latest season of the podcast, hear how Medicaid agency leaders are employing innovative strategies, forging meaningful partnerships, and exploring new approaches to better meet the needs of priority populations.