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New
Medicaid Option Promotes Enhanced Mental Health, Substance Use Crisis Care
Additional Funding Available for State Mobile
Crisis Intervention Services
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is working with states
to promote access to Medicaid services for people with mental health and
substance use disorder (SUD) crises. Authorized under President Biden’s
American Rescue Plan (ARP), states have a new option for supporting
community-based mobile crisis intervention services for individuals with Medicaid.
Mobile crisis intervention services are essential tools to meet people in
crisis where they are and rapidly provide critical services to people
experiencing mental health or substance use crises by connecting then to a
behavioral health specialist 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. This new
option will help states integrate these services into their Medicaid
programs, a critical component in establishing a sustainable and public
health-focused support network.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to tackling
behavioral health challenges relying on proven methods,” said HHS Secretary
Xavier Becerra. “Thanks to resources provided by the American Rescue Plan,
states now have an opportunity through their Medicaid programs to expand
behavioral health support in their communities. Where needed, behavioral
health experts, not law enforcement, should be the first responders to
mental health and substance misuse crises.”
“These services are a vital resource for people in moments of
crisis, and also connect individuals to the behavioral health services and
support needed for long-term recovery,” said CMS Administrator Chiquita
Brooks-LaSure. “Effective mobile crisis intervention services ensure a
qualified health professional is the first point of care for someone in
crisis while helping to avoid unnecessary emergency room use and
hospitalizations.”
While several states have community-based mobile crisis
intervention services in place, the ARP grants CMS new authority to provide
states with additional resources and tools to enhance these programs. The
ARP provides additional federal funding to states for qualifying mobile
crisis intervention services for three years. This new Medicaid option also
offers flexibility for states to design programs that work for their
communities, allowing states to apply for this new option under several
Medicaid authorities.
Community-based mobile crisis intervention services, usually
comprised of professional and paraprofessional staff, are able to respond
quickly to crisis situations and provide individual assessment and crisis
resolution. This new option will help states expand access to behavioral
health professionals as the initial contact for someone in crisis.
Providing immediate and appropriate care to someone in crisis may reduce
the need for costly inpatient services.
The new Medicaid option requires that crisis response teams include
one qualified behavioral health care professional who is able to provide an
assessment within scope of practice requirements under state law. States
can add other professionals and paraprofessionals with expertise in
substance use and/or mental health crisis response. The teams are tasked
with providing screening and assessment; stabilization and de-escalation;
and coordination with and referrals to health, social and other services,
as needed.
This guidance is part of Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing
efforts to make critical investments in behavioral health and crisis care
services, and follows HHS’ announcement made by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) earlier of $282 million in
ARP and Fiscal Year 2022 appropriations to help transition access to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline from
its current 10-digit number to a three-digit dialing code – 988. The
Lifeline currently helps thousands of people overcome crisis situations
every day. The 988 dialing code will provide the public with easier access
to life-saving services and will be available nationally for call, text or
chat beginning in July 2022.
Separately, CMS also recently announced that $15 million in
planning grants have been awarded to 20 states to support development of
community-based mobile crisis intervention services for people with
Medicaid. For additional information, view CMS’ announcement here.
To access the Medicaid Guidance on Coverage and Reimbursement
for Qualifying Community-Based Mobile Crisis Intervention Services, visit https://www.medicaid.gov/federal-policy-guidance/downloads/sho21008.pdf.
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