Every May, we recognize Mental Health Awareness Month, which marks an important opportunity to educate the public and advocate for policies that support millions of Americans affected by mental illness. This effort is critical right now as mental health challenges are heightened among vulnerable communities, including children, seniors, people of color, and pregnant women, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medicaid is an essential part of American health care for people with low incomes and/or disabilities and plays a large role in the effort to support people with mental health conditions. Here are 8 key facts that demonstrate how Medicaid helps individuals with mental health challenges successfully manage their condition and get the treatment they need.
- Medicaid is the single largest payer for mental health services in the United States.
- Mental health conditions, including substance use disorder (SUD), are especially common among Medicaid enrollees and only increased during the COVID-19 crisis. For example, nearly 12% of Medicaid beneficiaries over 18 have a substance use disorder.
- Research has shown that individuals with mental health issues in states that expanded Medicaid experienced improved health outcomes. For example, among adults with depression, Medicaid expansion led to significant increases in the insured rate as well as improved access to care.
- Many underserved communities struggle to access mental health services. Minority communities experience greater barriers to accessing mental health treatment, and more than 25 million rural Americans live in a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area, where there are too few providers to meet demand.
- All state Medicaid programs cover certain mental health services, including medically necessary inpatient hospital services, outpatient hospital services, rural health clinic services, nursing facility services, home health services, and physician services.
- Americans enrolled in a Medicaid managed care plan have significantly better access to care and preventive services than people with no health coverage. Adults were more than 4 times more likely, and children were 2 to 3 times more likely, to receive certain preventive care services than people with no health insurance.
- Most states rely on Medicaid managed care plans to deliver inpatient and outpatient behavioral health services for beneficiaries, recognizing the value of Medicaid managed care plans to provide quality care and help control costs.
- Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) benefit requires states to provide all medically necessary services available under federal Medicaid law for children with a diagnosed mental health condition, even if those services are not included in the Medicaid state plan.
Download our Medicaid & Mental Health Toolkit to learn more about how Alliance partners are addressing mental health challenges across the country.