Require coverage of early interventions for serious mental illness

Serious mental illness (SMI) is a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.[2] Approximately 14.1 million adults in the United States (5.5 percent of all U.S. adults) have an SMI.[2] Young adults aged 18 to 25 years have the highest prevalence of SMI. However, a lower percentage of these individuals receive mental health treatment than older adults,[2] emphasizing the importance of early interventions for SMI.

Evidence-based early interventions for SMI, including programs that deliver coordinated clinical and supportive services early in the course of SMI onset, are effective[1] and could help delay or prevent loss of function and allow those with SMI to manage problems before they become disabling.[3] However, many programs and emerging early interventions for SMI are not appropriately covered.[1] The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which oversees Medicaid, the single largest payer of mental health and substance use disorder services in the country,[3] can play a particularly important role in financing, disseminating, and scaling life-changing interventions.