Gillibrand, Senate Colleagues Announce Bipartisan Legislation To Help Expand Access To Mental Health Services For Older Adults And People With Disabilities

Statement

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), today announced the bipartisan Medicare Mental Health Access Act, legislation that would help expand access to mental health services to older adults and people with disabilities. Currently under Medicare requirements, mental health services provided by clinical psychologists, who are trained and licensed to practice independently in all U.S. states and jurisdictions, require additional monitoring and sign-off by a physician. This requirement creates a barrier for clinical psychologists to provide critical mental health treatments for seniors and people with disabilities. The Medicare Mental Health Access Act would change this requirement by adding clinical psychologists to the list of providers in Medicare's definition of a "physician."

"Far too many Americans don't have access to the mental health services they need, and Congress should be doing more to address this problem," said Senator Gillibrand. "That's why I'm proud to announce the bipartisan Medicare Mental Health Access Act. This legislation would allow clinical psychologists to provide more treatment options for Medicare patients, helping to expand access to mental health services for our older adults and for people with disabilities. I urge my colleagues to support this bill to ensure that Medicare patients are receiving the care they need."

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