President Donald Trump signed the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025 into law on Dec. 1, reauthorizing substance use disorder (SUD) prevention, treatment and recovery programs through fiscal year 2030. First passed in 2018, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act established these […]
This is an exclusive BHB+ story Telehealth flexibilities have evolved from a reactionary pandemic-era necessity into a mainstay tool across health care. Yet, the increased access and behavioral health outcomes, which are on par with in-person results, still haven’t been enough for Congress to make the flexibilities permanent. Telehealth extensions for Medicare patients are set […]
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 […]
The rollout of the final parity rule feels like a much-needed win in an industry that has been muddling through ever-increasing challenges for years. That’s as long as the final rule goes unchallenged in the courts, of course. Savoring this positive regulatory development is important: Behavioral health professionals need to find proverbial rays of sunshine […]
The majority of Americans believe in behavioral health parity and prioritize mental health now more than they have in the past. But they’re not so keen on paying higher premiums to get it. A survey conducted by the health insurance industry group Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness illuminates the popular demand for equal treatment […]
More than 80% of mental health provider listings on Medicare Advantage (MA) directories are inaccurate or unavailable. That’s according to a recent secret shopper study conducted by the Senate Committee on Finance. These inaccurate provider directories, also known as “ghost networks,” can cause patients to get pinned down by large out-of-pocket bills and clinicians to […]
Parity reform may heighten clinical and administrative requirements for outpatient mental health providers. These laws may make in-network agreements simpler and more profitable, as many providers hope. Yet talk of parity is often one-sided, focused on perceived payer wrongs. This overshadows the role of clinicians and their organizations in increasing access to and improving care […]
The public comment period hasn’t begun for the Biden administration’s recently published proposed mental health parity rule. But that hasn’t stopped a flood of commentary on the rule from entering the public sphere already. On July 25, the administration released a proposed rule that firms up mental health parity in terms of health plan’s compliance […]
Behavioral health parity continues to be a key priority in congressional legislation. And it’s possible that new legislation could pass out of Congress before the end of the year. Leading into the lame-duck session, payers and care providers have called for clarity around parity, continuing a legal and legislative quest that stretches back to the […]
The federal government is signaling big moves around deregulating medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Key federal stakeholders have indicated reforms are a top priority going forward. Already, the House of Representatives passed the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act, potentially clearing the way for easier prescribing of methadone and buprenorphine. If realized, the changes to […]
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