Advocacy
Advocacy
Priorities
Ensuring access to mental health and addiction treatment and recovery services could not be more urgent or important than at this time. A report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that symptoms of anxiety disorder were approximately three times higher and prevalence of depression about four times higher among adults during the second quarter of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019.
Meanwhile, overdoses have spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic with more than 40 states reporting increased opioid-related deaths, and an overall increase in overdoses of 18% between May of 2019 and 2020. At the same time, suicide rates have continued to rise, up 35% between 1999 and 2018, with early indications of additional increases in suicides more recently.
Our Covid-19 webpage is designed to help NABH members access important and applicable resources as they navigate the Covid-19 pandemic.
Removing Barriers to Care
Congress should eliminate outdated federal rules blocking access to cost-effective treatments.
Combating the SUD Crisis
Congress should increase access to substance use disorder treatment.
Expanding the Behavioral Health Workforce
Congress should expand the mental health and substance use disorder workforce.
CEO Update
CEO Update 136
President Biden Names Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to Lead CMS President Biden this week named former policy official Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, currently a managing director at Manatt Health, to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Brooks-LaSure played a significant role in directing the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) through both passage and implementation. She ... Read moreCEO Update 135
House Reconciliation Package Includes Strong Support for Behavioral Healthcare U.S. House committees this week began marking up the Covid-19 reconciliation package that largely reflects the Biden administration’s priorities and includes strong support for behavioral healthcare and a number of NABH priorities. House members expect quick passage on a party-line basis for the legislation, which includes significant funding ... Read moreCEO Update 134
CMS Announces Special Enrollment Period in Marketplaces During Covid-19 Pandemic The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a special enrollment period (SEP) for consumers—including both individuals and families—in the 36 states that operate health insurance marketplaces through HealthCare.gov, citing the “unprecedented challenges” that the Covid-19 public health emergency has created. “Millions of Americans are ... Read moreCEO Update 133
CMS Issues Memo to Clarify Expectations of Hospital Surveys During Pandemic The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Center for Clinical Standards and Quality has issued a memo that clarifies expectations regarding hospital surveys during the ongoing Covid-19 global pandemic. According to the memo, surveys will be limited to “Immediate Danger” complaint allegations for the 30 ... Read more
Latest Content
Changes to Medicare Coverage for Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Treatment Services
This NABH Issue Brief highlights changes to coverage for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included in its 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) and other final rules. The PFS rule…
HHS Announces Delay in Provider Relief Fund Reporting Deadline and Revisions to ‘Lost Revenue’ Definition
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has announced a new reporting portal for providers to register and submit information about how they have used payments from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to cover Covid-19-related costs and lost revenues.…
CMS Expands Medicare Telehealth Coverage for Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) extended some Medicare coverage of telehealth services that the agency authorized during the Covid-19 pandemic. The changes were included in the final 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule that was published in…
The National Association for Behavioral Healthcare, are the people on the front lines of this fight…
U.S. Rep. Greg Walden
Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce
