New York State has reached a landmark settlement in the federal class-action lawsuit C.K. v. McDonald, requiring the state to ensure that children covered by Medicaid receive timely, intensive mental-health services in their homes and communities.
Sean Taylor, Vice President in CRA’s Antitrust & Competition Practice, filed an expert report on behalf of plaintiffs, supported by a team of CRA consultants led by Matthew Arck. Mr. Taylor and the CRA team analyzed data from the state’s systems and summarized multiple metrics, including service “penetration” (the number of children receiving services), “intensity” (the number of services provided to those children), and the associated Medicaid expenditures across a range of mental- and behavioral-health services. Plaintiffs’ medical experts relied on these analyses to assess whether the state was providing sufficient services to children in need.
This settlement mandates systemic reforms, including expanded access to intensive home- and community-based services, increased Medicaid reimbursement rates to strengthen provider capacity, and the establishment of accountability mechanisms such as a public quality dashboard, independent reviews, and annual audits. An estimated 2.5 million children—roughly half of all children in the state of New York—are enrolled in Medicaid, and thousands stand to benefit from improved service access and continuity of care.
This case was brought on behalf of children by advocacy groups including Children’s Rights, Disability Rights New York, and the National Health Law Program, alongside pro bono counsel at Proskauer Rose LLP. CRA is proud to have contributed its economic and data expertise in support of this effort, which represents a significant step toward ensuring that vulnerable children in New York receive the mental-health care they need and deserve.
