Creative arts programs do more than entertain — they help people connect, engage, and thrive. Research continues to show that participation in music, visual arts, dance, storytelling, and other creative activities can improve mental health, cognitive function, emotional well-being, and quality of life, particularly for older adults and people with disabilities.
Yet too many individuals who rely on Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) lack access to these opportunities for connection and engagement.
Medicaid waivers provide states with flexibility to fund innovative, nontraditional supports that improve health outcomes and help people remain connected to their communities. Arts-based interventions should be recognized as part of that solution.
By encouraging states to incorporate creative arts into HCBS waivers, the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services (CMS) can help transform Medicaid into a tool not only for clinical care, but also for connection, purpose, and well-being.
We are urging policymakers to encourage CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz to:
<ul>
<li>Release guidance supporting the use of Medicaid waivers for arts-based interventions</li>
<li>Encourage State Medicaid Agencies to integrate creative arts programming into HCBS</li>
<li>Swiftly approve waiver proposals that include arts-based interventions designed to improve social connection and health outcomes</li>
</ul>
Creative connection should not be a luxury. It should be part of how we support healthy aging, disability inclusion, mental well-being, and stronger communities.
Add your voice today. Fill out the form below to send a letter to your representative and support policies that expand access to arts-based interventions through Medicaid HCBS programs.

Strengthen Social Connection Through the Arts

Social connection isn’t just about conversation — it’s about engagement, purpose, and joy. Evidence shows that participation in the creative arts improves mental health, cognitive function, and overall well-being, especially for older adults and people with disabilities. Yet access remains limited for those relying on Medicaid, with many home and community-based services (HCBS) beneficiaries feeling the highest impact. 

States can leverage Medicaid waivers to fund arts-based interventions as part of HCBS. Waivers allow flexibility in spending on nontraditional supports that improve health outcomes, which states could utilize to transform Medicaid into a tool for social connection, not just clinical care. 

I urge you to write CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz and encourage him to release guidance encouraging State Medicaid Agencies to utilize waivers to fund arts-based interventions. CMS Administrator Oz should also be encouraged to swiftly approve the use of arts-based interventions in waivers.