President Joe Biden's proposed budget for 2024 would lower Medicare costs for behavioral health services.
In the new budget, cost sharing for three mental health or behavioral health related visits per year would be eliminated, according to a March 7 news release from the White House. It would also require that physical and mental health Medicare coverage is equal.
Coverage and payment for new types of Medicare providers — such as peer support workers, certified addiction counselors, evidence-based digital applications and platforms that facilitate delivery of mental health services — is also included in the proposed budget.
The budget also would account for removing unnecessary limitations on beneficiary access to psychiatric hospitals.
Read the full budget fact sheet here.