On Sept. 29, the agency issued a request for comment on improving parity between mental and physical health coverage in the program.
Medicaid is the single largest funding source for mental health treatment, according to CMS.
Medicaid is required to ensure limitations, like copays and number of covered visits, imposed on mental health or substance use disorder treatment are not more restrictive than those imposed on physical health treatment. According to CMS, research suggests people with mental health conditions and substance use disorders face more difficulty accessing care for these conditions than for physical conditions, despite parity requirements.
The agency is seeking stakeholder feedback on improving oversight of mental health parity in Medicaid and ways to reduce administrative burdens of compliance for state Medicaid agencies. The request is open for comments until Dec. 4.
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