MAFP President Applauds Bipartisan Bill for Expanding Senior Mental Health Care Access

MAFP President Beena Nagappala, MD, MPH, was quoted in support of a newly introduced bipartisan bill seeking to increase access to mental health care for seniors on Medicare. The legislation, sponsored by U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (MI-08) and U.S. Rep. Michelle Steel (CA-45) would improve access by helping cover the startup costs of implementing integrated care models. These models bring mental health providers into primary care practices to ensure patients are immediately connected to the care they need.

"We thank Congressman Kildee for introducing the COMPLETE Care Act, which will improve our health care system by increasing access to mental health and substance use disorder services in urban, rural and underserved areas,” said Dr. Nagappala. “Family physicians are uniquely trained to care for patients across the lifespan. The integration of behavioral health with primary care will improve access to timely and effective treatment in the primary care setting where patients often first demonstrate a need for behavioral health services.”

You can learn more about this legislation here.