IAMHP and State Legislators Rally Support for Behavioral Healthcare Services

 IAMHP and State Legislators Rally Support for Behavioral Healthcare Services

Recent incidents such as school shootings, the pandemic and inflation
are all factors that could greatly impact mental health. Several measures, designed to improve efficiency and efficacy of behavioral health services, were approved for increased funding during the last legislative session. The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed gaps in healthcare services throughout the country. One such gap, which will be difficult to improve in the short term, is access to behavioral health services amid a significant provider shortage. To address this situation, IAMHP collaborated with legislators on many shared priorities during the last legislative session. “The legislature introduced and passed a number of bills that align with IAMHP’s goals of increasing equitable access to healthcare and supporting providers who treat patients with behavioral healthcare needs, said Samantha Olds Frey, CEO of the Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans.

Funding for additional training, in the form of academic detailing,
offers providers opportunities to enhance their level of expertise in caring
for patients with behavioral health disorders. In addition, behavioral
health providers will now find it easier to locate appropriate care settings
for patients thanks to funding that expands a new system that tracks the
availability of inpatient treatment beds. Added to these new measures are simplified billing and payment codes for behavioral health and substance use disorders.

For patients in treatment for substance use disorders, additional funds approved cover new Peer Support Services (PSS). Peer Support
Services are community based and known to improve treatment outcomes. IAMHP led the initiative to gain this coverage.

The Illinois Association of Medicaid Health Plans (IAMHP) is an
advocacy, member organization representing the Medicaid managed care health plans (MCOs) operating in the state of Illinois, which includes: Aetna Better Health of Illinois, BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois, CountyCare Health Plan, Humana, Meridian Health and Molina Healthcare. As a member organization for the Medicaid managed care health plans, IAMHP works with the Illinois state government, legislators, advocacy groups and Medicaid patients to invest in and provide high-quality health care focused on cost-effective, individualized care that helps the residents of Illinois live longer and healthier lives.

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