In a letter to the Senate Committee on Finance, MACPAC responded to the committee’s Request for Information (RFI) on opportunities to enhance behavioral health care in the areas of strengthening the workforce; increasing integration, coordination, and access; ensuring parity between behavioral health and physical health care; furthering the use of telehealth; and improving access to behavioral health care for children and young people. The letter summarized key findings from MACPAC’s work, described our ongoing behavioral health work, and noted pertinent recommendations MACPAC has made in the issue areas identified in the RFI.
MACPAC urged the committee to address the needs of the adults and children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, and stressed the need to address the barriers to care that result in disparities in access to care and behavioral health outcomes for Black, Hispanic, and Asian American beneficiaries, as well as people with disabilities and those living in rural areas.