Geisinger, Acadia Execs Say 190-Day Medicare Psychiatric Limit Must Go

A united front of leaders from Acadia Healthcare (Nasdaq: ACHC) and Geisinger Health System are pressing for the annulment of Medicare’s longstanding 190-day lifetime coverage cap for inpatient psychiatric treatment. Acadia Chief Strategy Officer Andrew Lynch, CEO Chris Hunter and Chief Medical Officer Stephanie Eken, as well as Imad Melhem, chair of psychiatry and behavioral […]

When ROI Meets Recovery: Rethinking the ‘Lifetime Value’ of SUD Patients

This is an exclusive BHB+ story Substance use disorders (SUDs) are often treated episodically, but unlike other conditions, patients’ needs can persist indefinitely after they move into recovery. Even though higher needs are theoretically more lucrative for providers, the lifetime value of an SUD patient is routinely undervalued in current reimbursement models, industry leaders told […]

Medicaid-Enrolled Children with Autism Rarely Given Genetic Tests

Only 17% of Medicaid-enrolled children with autism receive genetic testing, despite national guidance recommending these tests be given to all children with the condition or an intellectual disability. That’s according to a recent study published in Genetics in Medicine, where researchers from the University of California Los Angeles reviewed health records linked to 241,060 children […]

Prior Authorization Overhaul to Debut in 2026, with Broader Reform for Behavioral Health on the Horizon

Preventing unnecessary care and medication prescriptions is the primary purpose of prior authorization. Instead, it has all too often led to slower, burdensome delays to critical care for mental health and substance use treatment, but that could soon change. A group of major insurers – including UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna Group, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield […]

Pediatric Behavioral Health Providers Brace for Medicaid Cuts

This is an exclusive BHB+ story Medicaid is the No. 1 payer for youth mental health care in the nation. Yet, with proposed cuts on the chopping block as part of the Trump administration’s budget reconciliation, behavioral health providers face an uncertain path ahead. Possible cuts to the federal health coverage program could exacerbate staffing […]

Nationwide, Mandatory Work Requirements for Medicaid Will Negatively Affect Those with Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Disorders

As Congress works to finalize its budget reconciliation package, changes to Medicaid are at the forefront of discussions. Leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives has continued to affirm that the Medicaid policies under consideration ensure that no “deserving” Medicaid beneficiary will lose coverage for which they are legally eligible; instead, they have expressed their […]

Disrupting the Status Quo: Employers’ Emerging Role in Addiction Care

This is an exclusive BHB+ story Increasingly, employers are paying for addiction care for their staff, disrupting the status quo. It’s changing the way providers view reimbursement and how they operate by placing new expectations on measurable results, transparency and speed. By stepping into the payer role, employers are reshaping stigma, return on investment and […]