Financial Assistance

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) should create distinct categories for addiction Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) that are different from mental health HPSAs.[1]

Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should change how Medicare sets reimbursement in order to remedy the historic – and ongoing – undervaluing of primary care and mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) care throughout our entire healthcare system.

Congress should increase Medicare payment rates for mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) integration services to help defray a portion of the startup costs that providers incur when they begin delivering care through models that integrate MH/SUD and primary care.[1]

Congress should expand Medicare’s Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Physician Bonus Program to increase bonus payments for psychiatrists who practice in shortage areas.[1]

Federal entities that have oversight of agencies with essential workers, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, should include resources, funding, and guidance for mental health, emotional stress, and trauma support in Continuity of Operations Plans.[1]

Congress should require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report to Congress on current reimbursement rates paid for mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) services by Medicare, Medicaid, individual and group health plans, and other types of health coverage, both in and out of network. Rates should be assessed for their sufficiency to increase in the supply of participating providers and pipeline for clinicians entering MH/SUD fields, as well as compared to physical health reimbursement.[1]