Home » News & Events » Mental-healthcare services are more difficult to access under Medicare
by Jessica Hall for MarketWatch
Mental-healthcare services are more difficult to access under Medicare — and as a result, older adults are more likely to wind up in the emergency room or hospitalized in the event of a mental-health crisis, a new study found.
According to a study in JAMA Health Forum, adults with psychological distress saw a decrease in outpatient mental-health visits and had less access to psychotropic medication once they became eligible for Medicare.
Those same adults saw an increase in acute, more costly mental-healthcare services, such as more inpatient admissions and higher emergency-department visits, the study found.
“These findings suggest that Medicare eligibility at age 65 years was associated with decreased use of mental-health outpatient services and increased acute care use among adults with psychological distress. These findings highlight the need for policies that address gaps in mental healthcare in the Medicare program,” the JAMA study said.
The findings come amid an increasing population of older adults, a loneliness epidemic that triggers about $6.7 billion in excess Medicare spending a year, and increased alcohol use among older adults. Those ages 85 and older also have the highest rates of suicide among any age group, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CMS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Medicare’s mental-health coverage.
“Mental-health conditions do not stop at 65. The Medicare system needs to recognize that mental-health services should be affordable and accessible,” said Deborah Steinberg, senior health-policy attorney at the Legal Action Center.
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