Nearly one in five American adults suffers from a mental illness. One in four of her older adults reported experiencing anxiety or depression. More than four of her ten high school students felt persistently sad or hopeless.
And Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee that oversees Medicare and Medicaid, announced that nearly a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries have mental illness. , less than half receive treatment.
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 extended mental and physical health care parity to private and employer-provided plans, but not plans provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. was not subject to this requirement. This would allow many of the 60 million older adults covered by Medicare and the 90 million people enrolled in Medicaid and children’s health insurance programs to meet the equivalent requirement. you will not be able to benefit from it.
Wyden and Michael Bennett introduced legislation to expand access to mental and behavioral health care for Oregonians and all Americans with Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and Medicaid. bottom.
Wyden said mental health care should be affordable, reliable and accessible to everyone.
“For too long, mental health care has taken a back seat to physical health in America,” Wyden said. The bill is beginning to tip the scales by applying equal protections for mental health across the healthcare system and increasing penalties for insurance companies. “This law will help Oregonians and those struggling with mental health across the country get the care they need when they need it. I will continue to fight for mental health equality in this country. increase.”
The Better Mental Health Care for Americans Act addresses this gap and removes unnecessary obstacles to low-income children and older adults accessing the mental health care they need.
The purposes of the proposed law are to:
- Request Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and equivalence of Medicaid mental and behavioral health services.
- Make sure your Medicare Advantage Plan maintains an up-to-date provider directory to make it easier for your beneficiaries to access care.
- Promote the integration of mental and behavioral health and physical care by increasing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates.
- Increase access to integrated mental and behavioral health care for children in schools.
- Requires Medicare and Medicaid Service Centers to better coordinate payments, measure access and quality, and develop and implement plans to improve preventive services for mental and behavioral health care.
“Mental Health America,” said Senators Bennett and Wyden, by incentivizing integrated primary care, demanding an accurate provider directory, and expanding equal protections, could address fragmented and ineffective mental health care. We commend the comprehensive bill for transforming the system.” “These provisions make impactful changes to address the ongoing mental health and substance use crisis.”
