Leading Mental Health Organizations Strongly Support New Bipartisan Peer Support Legislation Introdu

Leading Mental Health Organizations Strongly Support New Bipartisan Peer Support Legislation Introduced in the Senate
Alexandria, VA (June 24, 2021) – Leading mental health organizations, including the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), Mental Health America (MHA), the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), the National Association of Peer Supporters (N.A.P.S) and the Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness (ABHW), strongly support new bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate by Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) to provide Medicare coverage of peer support services for individuals with mental health or substance use disorders who are being treated in primary care and receiving integrated behavioral health services. The bill clarifies that nothing in the Medicare statute prohibits peer support specialists from providing services billed as part of integrated behavioral health. It specifies that peer support specialists’ services may be billed under the collaborative care and other behavioral health integration codes in Medicare. This bill is companion legislation to H.R. 2767 in the House of Representatives introduced by Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA) and Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE).

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