Issue guidance on workforce capacity in shortage areas
Recommendation
Congress should require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue Medicaid guidance to increase mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) provider education, recruitment, and retention and improve workforce capacity in rural and underserved areas.[1]
Background/summary
Thirty-seven percent of Americans live in an area with a shortage of MH/SUD professionals, and two-thirds of those shortage areas are rural.[2] One quarter of rural residents receive health insurance through Medicaid and are more likely to report having poor mental health, making access to timely MH/SUD care vital for this population. However, many residents of rural communities often struggle to find care.[3] Pathways to workforce development and training grants currently exist, but more needs to be done to address provider shortages areas.[4] Congress should direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue guidance regarding workforce capacity in rural and other provider shortage areas, a step that was called for by a bipartisan group of Senate Finance Committee members.[1]
citations
1. U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. “Bipartisan Mental Health Care Provisions”. Last Accessed November 10, 2022.
2. National Rural Health Association. Mental health in rural areas. Last Updated February 2022.
3. Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. Medicaid and Rural Health. Last Updated April 2021.
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Rural Behavioral Health. Last Updated January 24, 2023.