Our Goals
In 2024, we are striving to:
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Support policy and funding initiatives designed to increase access to behavioral health care and to compensate providers in parity with physical health care providers.
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Monitor and advocate for all behavioral health policy proposals that support equity, access, and evidence-based therapeutic modalities.
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Monitor and advocate for all behavioral health policy proposals that support equitable access to care, increase the capacity of the system, and prioritize the behavioral health workforce.
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Work to erase stigma associated with behavioral health conditions and treatments.
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Reduce barriers to care including administrative burden, constraints, and access to telehealth services.
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Support policies that develop career ladders in behavioral health and provide opportunities for credentialing, reimbursement and earning a livable wage at various levels.
This year, we are prioritizing three specific areas:
1. Parity
A main focus for our coalition is to advocate for mental health parity, or equal treatment in coverage for mental health compared to physical illness. Societally, we are gaining an increased awareness of the value of mental health. When insurance reimburses low or does not cover mental health, this greatly restricts access and forces many clinicians to no longer accept insurance.
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The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008 sought to help with this issue by requiring insurance coverage to be no more restrictive than coverage for other medical issues. However, many insurance providers are still not fully complying, especially regarding the requirements clinicians and low reimbursement rates.
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We are seeking fair reimbursement for clinicians to increase equitable access.
2. Telehealth Protections
In 2020, 1 in 6 Americans went to therapy for the first time, made partly possible by virtual options to help people cope during the pandemic. Insurance reimbursement for telehealth was made possible during that time, and many continue to utilize it for care. This has been especially true for those with difficulty accessing services, such as those in poverty and in rural areas.
3. Pay for Internships
In order to ensure we have a robust behavioral health workforce for future generations, we must prioritize the developing workforce.
Behavioral Health interns incur tremendous amounts of debt with a low return on investment. During their internships, many students work full-time and attend classes while paying for tuition and childcare. Internships are most often unpaid positions in high-demand mental health settings in order to meet their hours requirements. The burden of working 18-20 unpaid hours is especially heavy for single parents or students affected by systemic barriers, impacting the ability to build a diverse workforce. Many students enter the workforce burnt out and financially underwater before they even begin, which deters people from entering the field.
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Further, clinicians who provide supervision are often not compensated for preparing the developing workforce, leading many to not accept students or supervisees. The lack of reimbursement for supervision further compounds barriers to entry, especially for those who have existing systemic barriers.
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Reimbursement for internships and services provided by pre-licensed clinicians is imperative to create access. We are in support of legislation that funds education and internships and legislation that requires managed care organizations to reimburse for intern/supervisee-provided services.
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