Toward improving access to mental health services under Medicare, U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) on March 25 sponsored a bipartisan, bicameral bill that would address a long-standing reimbursement disparity for such services under the federal program.
“This bipartisan legislation takes concrete action to strengthen the workforce, expand access for Medicare beneficiaries, and help close the gap between needing care and being able to receive it,” said Rep. Fitzpatrick, co-chair of the Bipartisan Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Task Force.
The congressman introduced the Mental Health Access and Provider Support Act, H.R. 8081, alongside lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko (D-NY) to increase Medicare reimbursement rates for clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors from 75 percent to 85 percent of the Physician Fee Schedule amount for covered mental health services.
Under current law, clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors are reimbursed by Medicare at a lower rate than other mental health professionals, creating barriers to participation in the program and exacerbating provider shortages — particularly in rural, underserved, and high-need communities.
If enacted, H.R. 8081 would help close the gap and better align Medicare reimbursement with the essential role these providers play in delivering care, according to Rep. Fitzpatrick.
“For too many Americans, the hardest part of seeking mental health care is discovering that help is not there when they reach for it,” Rep. Fitzpatrick said. “I have worked closely with providers, families, and community partners long enough to know that when we fail to support the mental health workforce, it is patients in their most vulnerable moments who bear the cost.”
The legislation is endorsed by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Counseling Association, Centerstone, the Clinical Social Work Association, the Medicare Mental Health Workforce Coalition, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Board for Certified Counselors, among others.
“Our clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, and licensed mental health counselors provide lifesaving behavioral healthcare to our communities,” said Rep. Tonko. “We in Congress must do all in our power to lift the barriers that prevent our seniors and patients from receiving care from these providers.”
U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), John Barrasso (R-WY), and Chris Coons (D-DE) are leading the same-named S. 4202 in the Senate.