APA praises provisions included in Build Back Better Act
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The American Psychiatric Association commended provisions made within the $2 trillion Build Back Better Act that are intended to broaden investments needed to boost treatment of mental health and substance use disorders.
“The American Psychiatric Association (APA) applauds the House for including these provisions in the Act and urges the Senate to ensure they are retained in the final reconciliation package,” the APA noted in a press release.
Among the facets of health care set for expansion in the bill are greater mental health parity, increases in the number of those working in behavioral health, permanently increased funds available for crisis services and extended access to Medicaid coverage. The act allowed for further strengthening of the 2008 federal parity law, which requires that insurance coverage for mental health and substance use disorder services face no restrictions compared with care for other medical issues.
A significant and immediate need for mental health/substance use disorder services during the pandemic revealed a shortage of personnel trained in behavioral health, particularly for patients of color and other underserved populations. The act would provide for 4,000 new, Medicare-supported graduate medical education slots in 2025 and 2026 and would allocate 15% of these positions to initiatives supporting psychiatry and other behavioral health training.
It also includes $75 million in funding to award grants to establish or expand programs to grow and diversify the maternal mental health/substance use disorder treatment workforce and $50 million for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Minority Fellowship Program.
The legislation would provide for a permanent increase in Medicaid funding for mobile crisis response efforts, with $75 million allotted for expansion of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to include a new hotline by next summer.
The act additionally extends eligibility to 12 months for children enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), while also permanently extending the state option. Medicaid coverage was also expanded for new mothers to 12 months following any birth.
Access to care through Certified Community Behavioral Health Care Clinics was also given a boost, with tax credits expanded if patients choose to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act.