House Passes Brooks' Proposal to Help People Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis

Today the House of Representatives passed S. 599, the Improving Access to Emergency Psychiatric Care Act. Congresswoman Susan W. Brooks (R-IN05) introduced H.R. 3681, companion legislation in the House of Representatives. This legislation would extend for one year the Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration Project which currently operates in 11 states and the District of Columbia, and allows states not currently participating to apply for the demonstration, including Indiana. The demonstration helps people experiencing a mental health crisis, such as expressing suicidal or homicidal thoughts, get the care and treatment they need without delay.

"Under current law, adults expressing suicidal thoughts and other mental health emergencies can't get the care they need in a timely and effective way," Brooks said. "This proposal gives people access to short-term, direct care in psychiatric hospitals when they need it, removing the burden of care from the emergency departments of general hospitals in our communities. This will prevent senseless tragedies; improve continuity of care for patients struggling with mental illness, and save taxpayer dollars."

With limited exceptions, under current law, Medicaid doesn't cover services provided in psychiatric institutions to adults ages 21 to 64. This is known as Medicaid's Institution for Mental Disease exclusion. However, Medicaid payments are available to other providers, like general hospitals, who offer services to enrollees experiencing a mental health emergency. The demonstration allows Medicaid to cover short-term, acute care provided by private psychiatric hospitals to Medicaid enrollees between the ages of 21 and 64 experiencing a mental health crisis.

"Emergency rooms are already overburdened, and these patients would get more appropriate emergency care at a psychiatric hospital," Brooks continued. "I'm proud to support the extension of this proposal to help make sure people get the treatment they need from the experts. We need to do everything we can to strengthen and reform mental health services, and this proposal is a step in the right direction. "

More information about the Medicaid Emergency Psychiatric Demonstration Project is available online from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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