This bill makes it easier for Medicare patients to access mental health care by expanding coverage and improving payment rates. Currently, Medicare pays psychologists at 75% of their standard fee, but this bill increases that to 85%, making it more financially attractive for mental health professionals to accept Medicare patients. The bill also adds clinical social workers to the list of mental health providers that Medicare covers, giving patients more options for getting help.

Another key change removes a restriction that prevented Medicare from paying for mental health services in skilled nursing facilities (nursing homes) if the facility was already required to provide those services as part of their basic operations. This opens the door for more comprehensive mental health support in these settings. The bill also expands what types of mental health services Medicare will pay for, including health and behavior assessments and interventions—services that help patients manage the connection between their physical and mental health.

These changes take effect on January 1, 2024, and are designed to address a real problem: many seniors on Medicare struggle to find mental health providers because the reimbursement rates are too low. By improving payment rates and expanding which providers and services are covered, the bill aims to make mental health care more accessible to older Americans who need it.

Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2023

Stabenow, Debbie

Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2023 This bill increases the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social worker services. The bill excludes clinical social worker services from the prospective payment system in which predetermined amounts form the basis for payment under Medicare. Additionally, the bill&nbsp;alters the definition of clinical social worker services as it relates to Medicare. Under current law, such services (1) include services performed for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, and (2) exclude services furnished to an inpatient of a skilled nursing facility as a condition of the facility's participation in the Medicare program. The bill repeals these provisions and instead specifies that such services include certain types of health behavior assessment and intervention.